


You Speak to My Soul Like You've Known It Before

by awriterofthings



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-08 01:06:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 22,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13447263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awriterofthings/pseuds/awriterofthings
Summary: Chloe’s a doctor and she meets Beca at the hospital when the brunette is hurt in an accident. The two get close but Beca has a secret that stops her from wanting to have a relationship with Chloe.





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

          Chloe Beale entered the hospital where she worked and immediately headed towards the cafeteria to get herself a cup of coffee. She'd be dead to the world until she got caffeine into her system. As she made her way down the hall, she came across her best friend, Aubrey who was holding two cups of coffee.

          The blonde stopped and held out one of the cups for Chloe to take. "I've got your daily dose of caffeine, Dr. Beale."

          "I heart you so much!" Chloe took the cup and sipped its contents. "So good," she moaned out. "So what do you have planned for today?"

          "Nothing exciting. I'm putting in a pacemaker in two hours. I might let my intern help."

          "What?" A voice said, excitedly from behind them. "You're going to let me scrub in?"  

          Aubrey turned around and rolled her eyes at the eager intern. "Dr. Rose-,"

          "Actually, my first name is Cynthia Rose. My last name is-,"

          "I don't care," Aubrey cut her off. "And don't interrupt me. It's rude. Now as I was saying, Dr. _Rose,_ do you have the blood test results for Nancy Bennett?"

          Cynthia Rose shook her head. "The lab hasn't gotten to it yet."

          Aubrey glared at the intern. "Make them get to it or you won't see the inside of an operating room for days."

          Cynthia Rose quickly headed down the hall to do as her boss had told her.

          Aubrey shook her head and continued to walk with Chloe. "What surgeries do you have lined up?"

          "I've got a heart valve replacement," Chloe answered. "That's the most exciting thing thus far."

          "I'll trade you," Aubrey said with pleading eyes.

          Chloe laughed. She knew her best friend had been getting stuck with surgeries that didn't quite show off her skills. "It's all yours."

          Their pagers simultaneously went off and they quickly pulled them out. Seconds after pulling their pagers out, they both ditched their coffee and ran out to the ambulance bay.

          "What do we have?" Chloe asked as she pulled gloves onto her hands.

          "Five car pile up caused by a drunk driver," another doctor, Jessica answered.

          The ambulances started to pull up and Chloe went to the first victim that got wheeled out of an ambulance.

          "I'm fine," the brunette woman said as she was wheeled into the hospital.

          Chloe scanned the woman quickly. "You need stitches. You probably have a concussion and possibly other internal injuries. You need to be checked out."

          "I'll get the stitches but then I'm out," the woman insisted.

          Chloe ignored the brunette and instructed the EMTS to push the gurney into the emergency department aka the pit so she could deal with the patient. She saw her intern, Amy and waved her over. "She needs stitches. Do you remember what happened the last time you did sutures? Don't let that happen again."

          "I've got this," Amy promised. "I can do sutures with my hands tied behind my back... well, I can't but you know what I mean. I'm a suture pro."

          Chloe grinned at the blonde's words. "Just make it clean. And don't let her leave. She needs a CT scan."

          Chloe rushed off to return to the bay and Amy turned to the patient. "Hi, I'm Doctor Stiles. Don't worry. I'm totally bad ass at this."

          The brunette looked unsure. "What happened the last time you did this?" She asked, having heard Chloe's threat to the blonde.

          "Oh, that. Pft, it was nothing. We found the needle. It was fine. So what's your name?"

          "It's Beca... Beca Mitchell."

 

          When Chloe finally got a chance to breathe, she headed back to the pit where the brunette from earlier had been. She found her glaring at Amy with her arms folded across her chest.

          "Thank god," Amy breathed out with relief. She gestured to the annoyed brunette. "I'm done babysitting this one." Amy handed Chloe the chart and stomped off.

          The redhead chuckled. "Give her a hard time?"

          "She wouldn't let me leave... per your orders apparently." 

          Chloe nodded towards the stitched up cut on the brunette's forehead. "Your cut looks like it'll heal just fine, Ms..." She looked down at the chart. "Mitchell."

          "Great. Can I go home now?" Beca asked.

          "Nope, you have a concussion." Chloe looked over the chart. "And we're waiting for your test results. How are you feeling?"

          "I have a headache and I'm annoyed because you won't let me leave. I'm not staying here any longer than I have to."

          "You're staying until those results come back so shut up and relax until then... unless you're in pain. You can talk then."

          The brunette frowned. "Are you this verbally abusive to all your patients?"

          "Only when they're being stubborn." Chloe saw a nurse and gestured for her to come over. "Lilly find somewhere more comfortable for Ms. Mitchell to rest and monitor her for me. I have to check on other patients but I shouldn't be long." Chloe smiled at Beca before leaving once again.

 

 

 

          An hour later, Chloe went into the room Beca had been taken to after her CT scan. "Ms. Mitchell-,"

          "Beca. Call me Beca."

          Chloe smiled. "Beca your results came back. Your head's fine. Nothing going on in there other than your mild concussion. I'd recommend you staying here overnight, though."

          "My friend's already on his way to get me. I'm not staying. And that Nurse Lilly person is kind of creepy. Are you sure she's not an escaped mental patient posing as a nurse? She told me she would've preferred working in a morgue."

          "That's Lilly for you. But anyway, you should really stay. Anything could happen between now and tomorrow, but if you're going to go against the will of your very intelligent doctor, then I can't stop you."

          "Great," Beca said, happy to know she'd be able to leave without any further trouble.

          "I trust someone has already told you how to care for your concussion?" Chloe asked.

          "All taken care of," Beca said.

          "Okay, then you'll just need to sign some papers once your friend gets here." Chloe pulled a card from her pocket. "Call me if anything changes."         

          "Will do. Thanks."

          "I mean it. Don't hesitate to call." Chloe's pager went off and she fought the urge to chuck it across the room. There was something about Beca that intrigued her and she really wanted to learn more about her. "I have to go."

          "Duty calls," Beca smiled.

          Chloe reached into her pocket and pulled out a lollipop. "For being a semi-good girl and at least getting a CT scan."

          Beca laughed and took the candy. "Gee, thanks."

          Chloe winked at her and rushed off to deal with whatever crisis awaited her.    


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Chloe entered the cafeteria later that day and plopped down beside Aubrey. "Longest day ever."

          Aubrey pushed her coffee cup to Chloe. "When are you going home?"

          "I'm on-call. I'll grab some sleep in an on-call room."

          Aubrey gave her friend a sympathetic look. "You should eat and go catch a nap now. You look like hell."

          Chloe rolled her eyes. "Thanks. You do great things to my ego." Chloe reached over and grabbed half of Aubrey's sandwich.

          Aubrey checked her watch. "I have twenty more minutes for us to catch up." The two lived together but they hadn't had much time to sit and actually talk in a few days."

          Chloe finished chewing her food and then let out a sigh. "Okay, um... Lauren and I broke up. She actually told me to choose between work and her."

          Aubrey laughed. "Really? Weren't you dating for only a month?"

          "Less than that even. That's the only new thing in my life. Your turn."

          "Wait, we're still on you. When are you going to stop wasting your time dating jerks?"

          "It's not like I know they're jerks before I date them. I'm lucky I can even find time to date."

          "You know what," Aubrey began. "We should go out. We deserve it."

          Another doctor, Stacie Hudson joined them at the table. "What do we deserve?"

          Aubrey grinned at the surgeon. "Way to find your way out of the on-call room with your nurse of the day."

          Stacie feigned offense. "That car accident really put a dent in my sex life for today."

          "Rough day for you, huh?" Chloe said, sarcastically.

          Stacie sighed, ignoring the sarcasm. "You have no idea. Some intern threw up on me. He couldn't handle seeing a skin graft. I'm working with amateurs."

          "They're interns," Aubrey pointed out, simply. "Don't expect too much."

          "Don't worry, Stacie," Chloe grinned. "The day is still young. You'll find yourself in a compromising position before the day ends."  

          "Haha," Stacie glared at the redhead playfully. "So what do we deserve?" She asked again.

          "A night out," Chloe said. "I need a night of fun. All work and no play is leaving me very-,"

          "Dry?" Stacie quirked an eyebrow and glanced down at Chloe's lap.

          "You're disgusting... but you're right. I need to get laid." Chloe hadn't slept with Lauren. They had gone on a few dates and to be honest, she really didn't find the woman to be that interesting.

          "I have the perfect place for us. There's this club, Pulse that I've been dying to find time to go to. It's hard to get into but we're three fine ladies. We'll be able to get in. We should plans to go next week."

          "I'm in," Aubrey said, happily. She could use a night of drinks and relaxation.

          Before the three could launch into details about their plans, Aubrey's pager went off followed by Stacie's. With the job that they had, Chloe wondered if they'd actually be able to follow through with their plans.

 

 

 

          Two days later, Beca was sitting in her apartment staring blankly into space as her best friend, Jesse spoke to her about something or another. She hadn't been able to concentrate since her accident. Not because of the concussion that she had had but because of the redheaded doctor she had met. She had contemplated calling her but thought it would creep the other woman out to call out of the blue for no reason.

          "Beca," Jesse snapped his fingers in front of the woman's face and she focused her gaze on him.

          "Sorry, what?"

          "No, it's fine. Keep doing whatever you're doing. I love talking to myself," Jesse said, sarcastically with a hint of a smile.

          "Sorry," Beca sighed. "My head just-,"

          Jesse stood up immediately with worry on his face. "Are you okay? I thought you said your concussion was gone. Does this have anything to do with your-,"

          "Stop, stop," Beca shook her head. "Sit down. I'm fine. My concussion is gone and it doesn't have anything to do with _that._ I just... I met this woman and..." Beca trailed off, rolling her eyes. She hated feeling this way. "It's stupid."

          Jesse grinned. "You have a crush?"

          Beca scoffed. "That's so high school. I do not have a crush."

          "Oh but you do. Who is it? Have I met her? Why haven't you brought her up before?"

          "I'm not playing twenty-one questions with you." Beca folded her arms over her chest.

          Jesse folded his arms across his chest and stared the brunette down. "I'm not going to stop asking until you tell me."

          Beca knew how annoying the man could get so she relented. "It's the doctor I met at the hospital. The one I told you about. She's... lingering in my head. There's something about her, Jesse. I want to see her again."

          "She gave you her card," Jesse pointed out. "Call her."

          Beca looked at Jesse as if he had said the dumbest thing she had ever heard. "I can't just call her for no reason."

          "Then make something up. Tell her your head hurts... a lot," Jesse shrugged. "She'll think it has something to do with the concussion and bam, you'll be seeing her again."

          "She's a doctor. She doesn't have time for me to be that lame." Beca had already contemplated lying about her concussion and decided she had more tact than that."

          "Won't you have to see her to get your stitches removed?" Jesse asked.

          "Yeah, in two more days. I want to see her now."

          "Wow, this doctor... what's her name?"

          Beca smiled. "Chloe."

          "Hm, pretty name. Look, it even makes you smile just by saying it." Jesse had never seen his friend act like this over someone. It was thoroughly amusing him. "Anyway, she must've really made an impression on you. What are you going to do when you see her again?"

          Beca opened her mouth to respond but promptly closed it back. She had no idea what she was going to do. She didn't know the woman's sexual preference, she didn't know if she was taken. She didn't know anything. "No idea. Guess I'll find out in two days."

         

 

 

          Chloe was in an on-call room trying to take a nap when she heard the door open. She hoped it was just another doctor or resident about to take a nap in the other bed but was met with the sound of her intern's voice.

          "Doctor Beale are you awake?" Amy asked.

          "Yes, what is it Amy?" Chloe asked.

          "Beca Mitchell got here early so I took the liberty of removing her stitches for you."

          Chloe sat up with wide eyes. "You what? Why would you do that?"

          Amy frowned. "Because it doesn't take a rocket science to remove stitches and I thought you'd be appreciative. You're a cardiothoracic surgeon. Why would you want to waste time removing stitches?"

          Chloe knew Amy was right. She dealt with chest, heart and lung surgeries. Removing stitches was miniscule. She should have been glad that her intern took over the job for her, especially since she shouldn't even be worrying herself over Beca Mitchell. A general surgeon should have been the brunette's doctor. She did care, though and she was irrationally furious that Amy had taken manners into her own hands. Chloe stood up from the bed, trying to keep a cool head. "Is she still here?"

          "She asked to see you," Amy said. "She's in the pit."

          "Great. Thanks, Amy." Chloe left the room and sped walk towards the pit. Once she reached the pit, she slowed down and made her way towards where she saw the brunette working on a crossword puzzle. "Hi, Beca. How are you feeling?"

          Beca stared down at her puzzle with a frown. "What's a thirteen letter word for lust?"

          Chloe grinned. "Lecherousness."

          Beca scribbled in the word and looked up to smile at the doctor that had taken her breath away days ago. "You knew that one right away. I'm totally judging."

          Chloe stuck her hands into her lab coat pockets. "A thank you would suffice."

          "Oh, right. Thank you, Dr. Beale."

          "You can call me Chloe." Chloe reached out and traced the cut on Beca's head. "This is healing nicely. How's your head?"

          "It's fine. I survived not being in this dreaded place overnight."

          Chloe quirked an eyebrow. "You must really hate hospitals."

          "You have no idea." Beca began nervously pulling at the hem of her shirt. "Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for everything... even though you told me to shut up. That kinda hurt my feelings."

          Chloe smiled at the brunette's obvious sarcasm. "Did it? I apologize for trying to make sure your health wasn't in danger."

          "That's a half-ass apology."

          Chloe looked around for a moment to make sure no one was paying attention to them. "I can make it up to you. A proper apology."

          Beca smirked. "I'm listening."

          "I'm going out with my friends next week. We're going to this club called Pulse."

          "That is an awesome club... the best club, actually. It's hard to get into."

          "So I've heard," Chloe said. "You've been there?"

          "Oh yeah, definitely." Beca stood up. "Do you have a pen?"

          Chloe pulled a pen from her lab coat and handed it over to Beca. She smiled when the brunette took her hand and wrote her number into her palm. "Call or text me the details next week and I'll meet you there."

          "And what if I want to see you before then?" Chloe found herself asking.         

          Beca couldn't stop the smile from forming on her lips if she tried. "Then feel free to call me before next week. I have to get going. I have a thing, but um, I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

          Chloe nodded. "Yeah."

          The brunette walked off and Chloe watched her go; feeling excited by the prospect of having the brunette in her life.

         

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Beca entered her apartment with Jesse after their workout to sit down. She rested her head on the back of her couch and closed her eyes. She hated working out but it was something she had to implement into her daily life. She definitely couldn't argue with the results of it either.

          Jesse walked over and sat down next to her, causing Beca to open her eyes. She took the water bottle he held out to her and gulped it down.

          "Thirsty?" Jesse laughed. "What are we doing now?"

          Beca checked the time. "I have paperwork to go over and a few new mixes that I want to put together."

          "Paperwork and anything financial; that's what Benji's for. You don't need to stress over that stuff, Beca. Just focus on your mixes."

          Beca's cell phone rang from in the kitchen where she had left it before going out jogging. She went to go answer it, smiling when she saw 'Chloe' on the screen. "Hello?" She answered.

          "Hey you. What are you doing tomorrow? Hopefully nothing because I have plans for you."

          Beca chuckled silently. Of course the redhead wouldn't be nervous about calling her for the first time. If it was the other way around, Beca was sure she'd be stumbling over her words. "You get straight to the point don't you?"

          "I'm a doctor," Chloe stated. "My pager could go off at any moment. I don't have time to beat around the bush sooo..."

          Beca leaned against the counter. "I actually do have plans. I'm going out with this cute doctor that I met."

          "Oh, I see. Making doctors fall for your charm is something you do?"

          Beca turned away from Jesse who was making faces at her. "You think I'm charming?"

          "Definitely," Chloe responded. "Stubbornness and snark. What's there not to like?"

          Beca laughed at Chloe's words and flicked Jesse off as he made kissing noises behind her. "Sounds like a catch to me."

          "So then are you up to doing something with me tomorrow?" Chloe asked, sounding hopeful.

          "I am. What'd you have in mind?"

          "Absolutely nothing at the moment."

          "Well, I'm down for anything that doesn't include watching a movie or eating in a public place will be fine with me."

          "No dinner and a movie?" Damn. That was on the top of my list." She joked. Chloe actually hated dinner and movies on a first date. She couldn't get to know someone during a movie and dinner wasn't very original. "I'd much rather stare at you than a movie screen so no worries. Now I'd love to continue this conversation but I have to make sure my intern isn't killing anyone."

          "Definitely don't want that. Go save lives. We'll talk later."

          After saying their goodbyes, Beca placed her phone down and went back over to Jesse. "Shut up."

          Jesse grinned. "I didn't say anything. So you have a date with your favorite doctor?"

          "I do." She sat back down and bit her lower lip as negative thoughts began to encompass her. "It's a bad idea isn't it? I shouldn't be dating. I shouldn't be letting anyone new into my life when..." Beca sighed. "I should cancel."

          Beca moved to stand up but Jesse stopped her. He placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closet o him. "You're not going to cancel. You're going to go on a date and you're going to enjoy yourself. I haven't seen you this way over someone before. You need to live your life. Have fun. Get out of your bubble."

          Beca let out a sigh and let yourself relax. It was just a date. She wasn't proposing or anything.  It probably wouldn't even lead to much. "Yeah, you're right."

          "Of course I am." Jesse hoped this doctor would breathe new life into his best friend who settled for less than she deserved when it came to her personal life.

 

 

 

          Aubrey eyed Chloe suspiciously as she approached her in the halls of the hospital. "What are you all smiley faced about? You look like you belong in peds handing out candy to children."

          Chloe's smile only widened. "I have a date tomorrow."

          Aubrey raised an eyebrow. "With your patient?"

          "She's not my patient, but yes, her. I'm taking her to a pottery class. What do you think?"

          "Hm, that's very you." Aubrey smiled at the redhead's frown. "It's a compliment. She'll love it. If she doesn't, then you can do better."

          Chloe beamed. "Is it ridiculous how much I like her when I barely know her?"

          "Yes," Aubrey answered, honestly. "But if you get to know her and you still like her, then it works out for you, doesn't it?"

          "Yeah, I guess it does," Chloe grinned.

         

 

 

 

          It was the day of Beca's date with Chloe and she was standing outside the pottery class that Chloe had texted her the address to. She had honestly thought the redhead was joking when she told her that they would be going to a pottery class. She was fine with it, though. It was different and she liked different.

          Beca smiled when she saw Chloe approaching her. "Hi."

          "Hey, sorry I'm late." Chloe said, giving Beca a hug that took the brunette by surprise.

          "You should be sorry." Beca tried to ignore the butterflies that erupted in her stomach from Chloe hugging her. She didn't even like hugs. She hated people invading her personal space. Jesse was one of the only people who could get away with it because he was like a brother to her. "You're a whole two minutes late. I was starting to think you stood me up."

          Chloe smiled at the seemingly always sarcastic brunette. "I'm sure you would've loved for me to stand you up so you could get out of this." Chloe could tell the brunette wasn't thrilled about the pottery class when she had mentioned it over the phone.

          "I have to admit, it kind of kills my whole bad ass vibe but who am I to say no to a gorgeous woman?"

          "You'll love it." Chloe linked her arm with Beca's and guided her into the building.

 

 

                                                                          

          Beca made a face as she looked at the bowl she had made. "It's slanted funny," she stated as she looked over at Chloe.

          "It's awesome," Chloe said. "It can be a doggy bowl."

          "Oh, great. My bowl doesn't even meet high enough standards for a person to use." Beca looked at the perfect cup Chloe had made. "You've done this before."

          "I haven't. I'm just good with my hands."

          Beca grinned. "That's good to know."

          Chloe rolled her eyes but a smile played at her lips. "I didn't mean it like that you perv." Chloe had been having a great time with Beca. Making conversation was easy and when their was silence, it was a comfortable one. Beca didn't talk much about herself, though. Chloe felt like she had told the brunette her life story but hadn't learned much about her date at all. She was definitely going to have to remedy that.

          "How do you feel about karaoke?" Chloe asked.

          "I hate it," Beca replied. "Why would anyone want to willingly go on stage and embarrass themselves?"

           "Well that's what we're doing next. You can learn a lot about a person through music, you know."

          "Can we make a compromise?"

          "I'm listening."

          "Come back to my place and we can listen to music there."

          Chloe thought about it for a second. "If you wanted to get me alone, all you had to do was ask." She winked at Beca and the brunette shook her head in amusement.

          "You're ridiculous." Beca stood up with Chloe and the two left the building. Beca made sure to send Jesse a text telling him to make himself scarce before she got there.                 

           

         

         


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Beca and Chloe were enjoying themselves immensely. The two were sitting in the living room taking turns playing songs from Beca's laptop. The brunette was pleased to know that Chloe had eclectic taste and liked all of the songs she played.

          Chloe turned down the song that was currently playing. She had done a lot of talking about herself and every question she had thrown at Beca had been swatted away effortlessly. Beca was a mystery and she wanted to learn more about her. "You don't talk much about yourself do you?"

          Beca shrugged. "There's nothing to tell. I'm really not that interesting."

          "I'd like to be the judge of that."

          "Okay, well, what do you want to know?"

          Chloe smiled, pleased that Beca was giving in. "What do you do for a living?"

          "A little bit of this, a little bit of that." Beca smiled when Chloe rolled her eyes. "I own a business with my best friend, Jesse."

          "What kind of business?" Chloe asked, curiously.

          Beca sighed dramatically. "You can really ruin a surprise, you know that?"

          Chloe eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What'd I ruin?"

          "I own Pulse. Jesse's the co-owner. I wanted to surprise you when you showed up there on Saturday."

          Chloe's eyes widened. ” _You_ own that club?"  

          "Yeah, I also DJ there. Those club mixes I played for you earlier; those are mixes I created."

          Chloe was becoming more and more infatuated with Beca by the second. "Those mixes were incredible, Beca. I'm impressed. You just got ten times hotter. You could probably get me into bed if you play your cards right."

          Beca smirked mischievously. "Those mixes are all it takes to get you into bed? I should've played them for you days ago."

          Chloe laughed. "Seriously, though. You're amazing. I can tell how much you love music."

          "It gets me through a lot," Beca revealed.

          Chloe nodded in agreement. "Music is my everything, too. When I was second guessing being a doctor, I would just listen to the right songs and they'd get me back on track. It's amazing how powerful music can be. I miss having it in my life like I used to. I was a part of an a capella group in college."

          Beca laughed at the new information about the redhead. "An a capella group? That's... I can definitely see that. You should sing something for me."

          "Maybe later," Chloe said as her eyes dropped to Beca's lips and then went back up to her eyes.

          "Why later?" Beca asked, softly having an idea where Chloe's head was at.

          "Because I want to kiss you now." Chloe surged forward, pressing her lips to Beca's.

          Beca was surprised at first but she quickly returned the kiss with fervor. Seconds later the two pulled apart to breathe in much needed oxygen.

          Chloe's phone went off and she couldn't stop the disapproving curses that slipped from her lips. "Sorry, one second." Chloe pulled her phone from her purse and saw that it was her intern calling. "What?" she answered. "How are her vitals? ...okay....no...how long has she been doing that? ....no, it's fine. I'll be there." Chloe hung up the phone and looked at Beca. "I am really sorry but I have to go."

          "It's okay. I get it." Beca stood up with Chloe. "Thanks for today. I had fun."

          Chloe grinned. "Me too." She placed a soft kiss on Beca's lips. "I'll see you on Saturday."

          "I'll be DJ-ing so just look for me on the platform." Not wanting their time to end just yet, Beca decided to walk Chloe to her car where they ended up kissing again for a few seconds.

          Chloe laughed and pushed Beca away. "I really have to go." The redhead got into her car and waved before driving off.

          Beca made her way back to her apartment, smiling happily about how her date had gone. She entered her apartment and was just about to sit down on the couch when she heard a voice.

          "Hey, Becs."

          Beca jumped and looked at her father with wide eyes. "What the hell, Dad!" Beca placed a hand on her chest and Mr. Mitchell quickly went over to her.

          "Are you okay?" the man asked, panicked.

          "Are you trying to speed up the rate of which I am dying? You can't sneak up on someone with a severe heart condition!" Beca took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

          "You didn't see me pull up and I didn't want to interrupt you and your lady friend so I came up here. You should've really lock your door, by the way."

          "Noted." Beca rolled her eyes at the man but smiled. The two got along well enough. Ethan Mitchell had always been there for Beca when it counted.  After her mother had walked out on them when she was ten, he had gotten a more flexible job so that he would be around more. He wasn't an affectionate man and he was clueless about children but he did his best. "What brings you here?"

          "Just checking up on you," Mr. Mitchell said. "Who was that girl? I didn't know you were dating."

          "She's... someone new. I'm not sure what we're doing." Beca plopped down on the couch. "I like her a lot."

          "Does she know?" Mr. Mitchell moved to join his daughter on the couch.

          Beca shook her head. She didn't want Chloe to know. Her knowing would change things and she liked what they had now.

          "Are you going to tell her?"

          "People treat me like I could break at any second when I tell them," Beca said. "I don't want that... so no, I'm not going to tell her."

          "If you're starting a relationship with her-,"

          "I'm not," Beca cut him off. "We're just having fun. It's nothing serious."

          "Okay, I'm sorry." Mr. Mitchell could tell his daughter was getting upset. "I just don't want anyone getting hurt. So have you been to your doctor lately?"

          Beca rolled her eyes. "No, Dad, I haven't. There's no point."

          "You should still get checkups."

          "For what? So they can tell me that I'm still dying? They'll call when they have a heart for me. Until then, I'm not wasting my time going."

          "Well you were in a car accident a few days ago that I didn't know about until I came across Jesse a few hours ago and he told me.

          "It was nothing. I had stitches. I'm fine." Beca made a mental note to punch Jesse later.

          "Well, you should still get your heart checked out in cas-,"

          "Dad," Beca sighed in annoyance. "I'm fine."

          "I'm sorry. I just worry about you."

          "You don't need to."

          Mr. Mitchell stood up and smiled at his daughter. "I don't mean to be overbearing. I just came by to see how you were doing. I have to go grade papers but we should have dinner together soon."

          "Sounds good, Dad," Beca said.

          The man patted Beca on the shoulder and headed out of the apartment. Beca headed to her room thankful that the man hadn't pushed the subject. She got that enough from Jesse. She laid down in her bed and relaxed to take a nap, not surprised that Chloe was the last thing on her mind before she fell asleep.   

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

          Chloe, Aubrey and Stacie entered the club where Beca worked and instantly felt the vibrations of the music course through them. They had gotten in for free due to Beca telling the bouncer to let "a redhead named Chloe" in when she arrived. That had won the brunette points with Chloe's friends.

          Chloe scanned the club and found Beca exactly where she said she'd be. She looked at home behind the turntables as she got everyone in the club dancing to her mix. "There she is. Come on. I'll introduce you."

          The women made their way over to the platform and Beca smiled a greeting at Chloe. She finished off the song before she stepped down to greet the redhead properly.

          "Hey, that was amazing," Stacie exclaimed as a new song began blaring.

          "Thanks," Beca smiled.

          Chloe gestured to her friends. "Beca these are my friends Aubrey and Stacie."

          "Doctors?" Beca asked.

          "Cardio and plastics," Aubrey replied. "It's nice to meet you. We've heard good things."

          Beca grinned. "Yeah? Like what?"

          "How hot you are for one," Stacie said.

          Chloe was glad that it was dark in the club or Beca would've seen her face turn red.

          Jesse approached his friend and smiled at the others. His eyes fell on Chloe and he held his hand out to greet her. "You must be Chloe?"

          "I am." Chloe shook his hand.

          "This is Jesse." Beca cut in before Jesse could say anything to embarrass her. "He co-owns Pulse with me. Jesse why don't you take the ladies over to the bar."

          "Yes, now you're speaking my language." Stacie grabbed Aubrey's hand and pulled her towards the bar.

          Chloe laughed. "Sorry, you're going to be witnessing doctors gone wild tonight. We don't get out much."

          "It's fine. I hope they have a great time. Let me know when clothes start coming off so I can record it. I could make a fortune."

          Chloe playfully slapped the brunette on the arm. "Dance with me?"

          Beca knew she should say no. She had been on the go all day and hadn't rested yet. "Sure, but just one. I want to show you around."

          Chloe pulled Beca into the middle of the crowd of dancers and the two got lost in each other.  

 

 

         

 

          Beca entered her office with Chloe and flipped on the lights. "And this is my office."

          Chloe entered the room and looked around. It was a simple office. It had the essentials. A small couch rested in one corner of the room and Beca's desk was practically bare as if she hardly came in here.

          "I try to stay out of here as often as possible," Beca said as if reading Chloe's mind. "It gets boring. I just like dealing with the music."

          "You don't have any pictures in here." Chloe mused as she continued to glance around. "Actually, now that I think about it, you didn't have pictures at your place either."

          "I'm not very sentimental. And pictures usually lead to people asking why I don't have any of my mother."

          Chloe turned to look at Beca. "Why don't you?"

          Beca paused for a moment, looking into Chloe's bright blue eyes. She didn't like talking about herself but something about Chloe made her feel at ease. "She walked out on me and my dad when I was ten. I haven't seen or spoken to her since."

          She sounds awesome," Chloe said, sarcastically.  "But hey, you turned out just fine without her. It's her loss."

          Beca wasn't expecting that reaction. Upon hearing about her mother, people either apologized profusely for bringing it up or talked about how they felt sorry for her and her motherless life, but here was Chloe basically telling her that she was better off. She looked at the redhead in awe. "Where did you come from?"

          Chloe quirked an eyebrow and smirked. "I have several answers for that question."

          Beca laughed lightly as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans, a nervous habit. "You're... different and I like you a lot." Beca knew she had to talk to Chloe about whatever it was that they were doing before things escalated between them.

          "I hear a but in there somewhere." Chloe could tell that Beca was having a mental battle with herself.

          "My life is a bit crazy right now. I can't be in anything serious." Beca rolled her eyes at herself. "That's a jerk thing to say isn't it? I'm not trying to be one of those douche bags who leads a girl on or anything."

          Chloe moved so that she was closer to Beca. The brunette was being beyond cute with her nervousness clearly showing in her body language. She leaned in and placed a kiss on Beca's lips. "We don't have to be serious. Relationships never work for me anyway."

          Beca smiled, relieved that she hadn't upset Chloe. "Friends, then?"

          "Friends." Chloe confirmed, leaning in so that her lips were almost touching Beca's. "... with benefits."

          "Even better." Beca closed the gap between them, causing Chloe to moan out her approval.

          The kiss escalated quickly and before they knew it, Chloe was sitting shirtless on Beca's desk with the brunette between her legs. Chloe nipped at Beca's neck and Beca gasped. Chloe grinned against her neck. "Did I just find your soft spot?" She sucked on the spot again and it elicited the same reaction. "I'll take that as a yes."

          Beca kissed Chloe on her collarbone. "We should probably head back to your friends," she said, breathlessly.

          Chloe went back to kissing Beca along her neck. "Soon."

          Beca ran her hand up the woman's bare stomach. "You're going to be the death of me," she groaned.

          Chloe tugged on Beca's shirt but the brunette stopped her from pulling it off. Chloe saw something akin to panic in Beca's eyes and worried that she may have done something wrong. "You okay?"

          "Yeah, I just remembered that I have another set. I need to get back out there."

          Chloe placed a gentle kiss on the pulse point on Beca's neck and she could feel her pulse rapidly beating against her lips. "Your heart rate is crazy rapid." She pulled away, reaching up to place a hand on Beca's chest but Beca took the redhead's hand into hers instead.

          "That would be your fault." Beca winked at Chloe and helped her off the desk. She retrieved the doctor's shirt for her and handed it over.

          There was a knock on the door followed by Jesse's voice. "Hey, Beca, you in there?"

          "Busted." Chloe fixed her hair and kissed Beca on the cheek. "I'll see you down there." She opened the office door and smiled at Jesse before making her way back to her friends.

          Jesse grinned. "Did I interrupt something?"

          "We were just talking," Beca replied.

          "Yeah, I believe that," Jesse said, sarcastically.

          "Okay, making-out." Beca felt herself get dizzy and placed a hand on her desk to steady herself.

          Jesse moved to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"

          Beca nodded and Jesse helped her sit down at her desk.

          "Talk to me, Beca. What's happening? I need to know so I know what to do."

          Beca could hear the worry in her best friend's voice and smiled faintly. "Really. I'm fine. I just pushed myself too much today. The ICD just sent paced beats to my heart to get it back on a normal rhythm." Beca had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in her chest for a year now. It basically worked as a pacemaker and if she ever suffered a dangerous arrhythmia, the ICD would shock her heart to restore the rhythm to normal. She hadn't yet experienced that shock and she was grateful. She had heard it was painful.

          "So you're okay?" Jesse asked. "Are you in pain?"

          "No, it just feels like a tiny vibration in my chest. It's called anti-tachycardia pacing."

          Jesse tried to stay up to speed on Beca's condition so that he would be useful if necessary. "What's the one I have to worry about?"

          "Cardioversion. That one happens when my heart's pretty much going to shit... more so than usual."

          Jesse nodded and was silent for a beat before moving towards the door. "I'm getting Chloe."

          "What? No!" Beca stood up quickly and regretted it as she quickly sat back down. "Don't. I'm fine."

          Jesse stopped at the door. "You need to be checked out."

          "I need for you to back off on this one, Jesse. I can take care of myself."

          "I'm at least taking you home."

          "I'm finishing my set. I just need five minutes."

          "You need-,"

          "Don't tell me what I need."

          "You should at least tell Chloe about this."

          Beca rolled her eyes. "She doesn't need to know."

          "If you plan on sleeping with her, she should know."

          "We're not talking about my sex life."

          "Beca-,"

          "I don't plan on sleeping with her so she doesn't need to know, okay? Drop it."

          Jesse and Beca had a stare down for a few seconds before Jesse relented. "Rest for a bit. I'll see you out there."

          Once Jesse was gone, Beca went over to the couch and laid down to rest for a few minutes. She felt a tear escape her eye and quickly wiped it away. She didn't want to cry over this anymore. She relaxed and let her mind wander to thoughts of Chloe.

 

 

 

          Chloe approached her friends at the bar, smiling happily. "Hey, you enjoying yourselves?"

          Aubrey smiled at the redhead. "Did someone get lucky with the DJ?"

          Chloe sat down and picked up Aubrey's drink. "Someone did." She sipped the drink and set it back down. "Nothing past kissing and heavy groping but it was amazing."

          "You're getting action and I'm not?" Stacie stood up from her stool. "I'm on the prowl now ladies. I'll see you tomorrow."

          Chloe laughed at her friend. "Be safe!" She yelled to her over the music as she walked away.

          Stacie gave her the thumbs up before vanishing into the crowd of dancers.

          Aubrey looked at Chloe and smirked. "Details."

          Chloe let out a satisfied sigh. "She's awesome. Nothing like anyone I've been interested in before."

          "That's good." Aubrey hated a majority of the people Chloe had dated. Anyone different from her past lovers was a good thing. "So what are you two doing? Are you just dating?"

          "We agreed on friends with benefits."

          Aubrey frowned. "Really? I thought you were into each other."

          "We are. We're both just not looking for a relationship right now."

          Aubrey could already predict how the whole thing would end. "You can't keep your heart out of anything, Chloe. You're going to get hurt."

          Chloe rolled her eyes at her best friend. "I can be in a friends with benefits type of relationship. It'll be perfectly fine."  

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Beca parked in front of the hospital where Chloe worked and sat in her car contemplating whether she should go in or not. The two had gotten to know each other more over the past two weeks and Beca was enjoying the redhead's presence in her life. Chloe was a breath of fresh air. The two hadn't spoken much in the last three days due to Chloe's busy schedule so Beca decided to drop by to see the woman. Rolling her eyes at herself, Beca pulled her cell phone out of her pocket to call Jesse.   
"Hey, Beca. What's up?" Jesse answered.  
"I'm thinking about visiting Chloe at work. Is that too relationship-y?"  
"Are you bringing her a bouquet of flowers?"   
"No... I'm bringing her lunch."  
"Tad bit relationship-y. I mean, friends can do that but you also make-out with her on occasion so that kinda blurs some lines, ya know?"  
"So I shouldn't go in?" Beca knew she was over thinking this but she didn't want to give the redhead mixed signals. She liked how things were... okay, that was a lie. She wanted Chloe to be her girlfriend but starting a relationship with her wouldn't be fair. All she could do was settle with what she would allow herself to have and to be honest, it wasn't nearly enough.   
"That's up to you," Jesse said. "I'm sure she'd be happy to see you."  
"All right... thanks. I'll see you tonight." Beca ended the call and picked up the brown bag from the passenger's seat that carried Chloe's lunch before getting out of her car. 

 

Chloe was waiting for the elevator to go to the first level of the hospital while she thought about Beca. She hadn't seen the brunette in a few days and was starting to miss her company. She had thought about calling but figured Beca maybe wanted her space. The elevator doors opened and Chloe stepped out of it. She saw Aubrey turning a corner and quickly went to catch up with her. "Hey, Bree," Chloe said as she fell into step with the blonde.   
"So I save this man's life this morning and do you know what he has to say to me when he wakes up? Can he have a doctor that doesn't look like they've just graduated high school."  
"What a prick."  
"Right?" Aubrey sighed. "How's your day going?"   
"I actually need some advice. Should I call Beca or should I wait for her to call me?"  
Aubrey raised an eyebrow at her friend. "I thought you could do the whole friends with benefits thing?"  
"I can. I am... I just don't know if I should call her or if the fact that we haven't spoken in three days is a sign of some sort."  
Aubrey stopped walking and faced Chloe. "You've got it bad for her, Chloe. Maybe you should tell her you want more than what you've got going on."  
"I don't want-,"  
"Don't even bother lying," Aubrey cut her off. "You want more just admit it."  
"Are you going to tell me you told me so?" Chloe asked.   
"Yes, probably," Aubrey answered with a grin.  
Chloe sighed. "What should I do?"  
"Tell her how you feel or continue doing what you're doing." Aubrey didn't want to see her best friend get hurt but Chloe was an adult. If she chose to continue on the path she was on with Beca, she could only be there for Chloe if things went sour.   
"Hey, look who I found," Stacie's voice could be heard from down the hall.   
Chloe looked over at her friend and smiled when she saw Beca with her.   
"I saw her when I was on my way in," Stacie said. "I'll see you guys later. I have to go relieve a woman of her back pain," she said referring to her breast reduction surgery she had.   
"And I have a bypass surgery." Aubrey said her goodbyes and left the two to converse.   
"So what brings you here?" Chloe asked.   
"Well, I was thinking I haven't seen you in awhile so I figured since you're so busy, I'd just stop by. Then I figured I'd be the awesome person that I am and bring you food that's not from a hospital cafeteria." Beca held up the brown bag for Chloe to see.  
"That is very awesome of you."  
"Dr. Beale," Amy approached her boss. "Can I-," Amy noticed Beca and looked back at Chloe. "Oh, is this the DJ whose bones you said you wanted to jump repeatedly?"   
Chloe blushed and she glared at Amy. "Go make rounds. Now."  
"Was I not supposed to say that?"  
"Bye, Amy," Chloe said through gritted teeth. Amy rushed off to go check on patients and Chloe took Beca by the hand. "Let's go somewhere where that can't happen again."  
Beca chuckled. "I already knew you wanted to jump my bones. No news there."  
"Glad you found that amusing." Chloe pulled Beca into an on-call room and locked the door. "I'm glad you stopped by. I was actually going to call you. I know you hate movies but you've never seen a movie with me so you might actually enjoy it. What do you think?"  
Beca pretended to think for a moment. "I don't think that'll help. How am I supposed to focus on a movie with a beautiful redhead beside me?"  
"Wow, you just said that. And you've been so smooth up until now." Chloe joked.  
"I can't give you all my good lines. You have to work for them. But don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to do that, let's say... tonight?"  
"Tonight is good," Chloe said. "And how about my place instead of yours? Aubrey's on-call tonight so we'll have the place to ourselves."  
"That works for me."   
Chloe's beeper went off and she sighed. "And I'm off. I'll see you tonight."  
Beca handed Chloe her lunch. "Text me your address."  
Chloe placed a kiss on Beca's cheek. "I will. Thanks for my lunch. You can find your way out, right?"  
"Yeah, I'll be fine."  
Chloe rushed off and Beca headed out of the building excited about her date with Chloe. 

 

Chloe entered the cafeteria and sat down across from Aubrey and Stacie. "I have to marry her!"  
Aubrey frowned. "That definitely isn't how friends with benefits works."  
"She made me a CD and put it in the bag she gave me. I went to my car to listen to it and it had the most amazing mixes along with my lady jam."  
Aubrey laughed at the mention of Chloe's lady jam. "I bet she didn't know what she was getting herself into when she put Titanium on there. Marriage is a big leap."  
"I'm dead serious," Chloe said. "She's the one. She's so perfect."  
"Too perfect," Stacie cut in. "There's got to be something wrong with her."  
Chloe shook her head. "Not a thing. You're definitely on-call tonight, right, Aubrey? Beca's coming over and I'm hoping she'll spend the night."  
"I'll be here tonight," Aubrey confirmed. "Are you going to tell her you want her to be your girlfriend?"  
Chloe bit her bottom lip. "Maybe... I don't know. I don't want to scare her off."  
"She brought you lunch and made you a mixed CD," Stacie pointed out.   
"Yeah," Aubrey added. "I think it's safe to say you both suck at friends with benefits."  
Chloe smiled and pulled out the lunch Beca had brought her. She definitely couldn't wait until tonight.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

          Chloe and Beca were sitting on the couch watching a romantic comedy that Beca swore was killing her brain cells. She sat through it, though, smiling whenever Chloe looked at her to see her reaction to something that was happening on screen. Once the movie was over, Chloe turned off the TV, leaving it somewhat dark in her apartment.

          "So what'd you think?" Chloe asked as she turned to face Beca. "Love it? Hate it? Mediocre?"

          "Hate it... but since I was watching it with you I can bump it up to mediocre."

          Chloe eyes widened. "What? It was so good! Give me one good reason why that movie was bad?"

          "Happy endings like that do not happen," Beca stated.

          "Yes they do. All the time," Chloe huffed.

          Beca smirked as she looked at the redhead. "Are you pouting?"

          "Shut up." Chloe moved so that she was straddling Beca's thighs. "You insulted one of my favorite movies. I reserve the right to pout."

          "Pout away. It's cute." Beca bit her lower lip for a minute before letting out a nervous sigh. "Hey, did you eat your lunch today?"

          "Yeah, I did. It was great. Thanks." Chloe hadn't brought it up yet because she had wanted the brunette to do it. She grinned at the nervous looking DJ.

          "Um... I had a CD in there. You probably hated it, which is why you didn't bring it up but I just want to be sure that-,"

          Chloe kissed Beca. "I loved it. I just wanted to see that face you make when you're nervous. It's the most adorable expression ever."

          Beca rolled her eyes but was smiling. "You're a jerk. So really, you liked it?"

          "I loved it. You even had my lady jam on there."

          Beca raised an eyebrow. "Your lady jam?"

          "Yeah, Titanium. That song really builds, ya know?" She winked at Beca and the brunette laughed.

          "Oh my god, are you going to get yourself off to my Titanium remix? I'd totally be fine with that."

          Done talking, Chloe leaned forward to capture Beca's lips with her own. She immediately trailed her tongue along the brunette's bottom lip and Beca allowed her entrance.

          Beca slid her hand up the back of Chloe's shirt and glided it up to the redhead's bra. She snapped it off and did a mental victory dance for actually being able to manage that with one hand.

          That skill didn't go unnoticed either. "That was impressive," Chloe mumbled against Beca's lips. "Lots of practice?"

          "Pure luck." Beca smiled into the kiss as she guided her hand up to one of Chloe's breasts.

          Chloe moaned and dropped her head back as Beca teased her nipple and gasped when the brunette latched her lips onto her neck. "God, Beca... let's move this into my room," she groaned out.

          Beca thought about telling Chloe. She didn't really have much of a choice. The woman needed to know. "Chloe," Beca said, breathlessly. "I need to tell you something."

          "Hm?" Chloe pulled back and looked at Beca with lust-filled eyes.

          "Damn, you're beautiful," Beca whispered.

          Chloe grinned and kissed the DJ. "Is that what you need to tell me?"

          "Oh... no. Um..." She couldn't do it. If she did it, they would stop and she really didn't want to stop. She was tired of her heart condition controlling her life.

          Chloe placed a gentle hand on the side of Beca's face and kissed her gently. "Are you okay?"

          "Yeah, I just... it's been awhile since I've done this." That wasn't a lie. It had been awhile. "How long is awhile?"

          Beca looked embarrassed. "Two years. I'm kind of celibate."

          Chloe was the one to looked embarrassed now. "And I totally just jumped you right now. I'm sorry." Chloe went to move but Beca stopped her.

          "No, don't be sorry. I want this. I just wanted you to know that I'll need us to go slow."

          "Are you sure?" Chloe asked. "I can totally wait until you're ready."

          Beca kissed Chloe. "I'm ready. Come on. Let's go to your room."

          Chloe looked skeptical. She didn't want to force Beca into anything.

          "Or I can take you here. That's fine too."

          Chloe grinned and got up. "As hot as that would be, Aubrey would kill me." She pulled Beca up from the couch and pulled her into the bedroom.  

          The two stumbled into the room and quickly undressed. Chloe tried to take control but Beca wasn't having it.

          "Lay down," Beca ordered.

          Chloe did as she was told and Beca moved on top of her. "I want to see you," Chloe moaned out as Beca kissed Chloe along her chest.

          Beca froze for a moment but then continued her actions. Chloe would be one of those people who wanted to have sex with the lights on. Once she got her thoughts together, she moved up to hover over Chloe. "First time in two years. Can we leave the lights off for this one?"

          Chloe leaned up and kissed Beca. "Sure, but you don't need to be nervous. You already have me so wet. I don't even need foreplay."

          Beca moaned at how hot that sounded coming from Chloe. She guided her hand between their bodies and dipped two fingers inside of Chloe for a moment before pulling out of her. "Fuck, you weren't kidding."

          Chloe's hips bucked up. "Do that again."

          "Not yet," Beca smirked. "You may be ready but I want this to last. Slow, remember?" Beca captured Chloe's lips with hers again and felt herself shudder when the redhead let out the sexiest whimper. "So damn hot," she groaned before losing herself in the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

          Chloe woke up the next morning with a smile she was certain would stay permanently etched on her face. Last night had been amazing. Beca had been nervous when it came her turn to receive the pleasure and felt more comfortable on top so Chloe put aside her usual dominate ways to make sure that Beca was comfortable. She had decided last night that the sounds Beca made whilst climaxing were her favorite sounds ever and she really wanted to hear them again. Turning around to face Beca, Chloe admired the gorgeous woman for a moment. She brushed a strand of hair from her face and leaned forward to kiss her gently. Smiling mischievously, she slowly moved the blankets from Beca's body but stopped when she noticed something she hadn't seen last night.    Frowning, Chloe looked at Beca's chest and saw a faint scar down the middle of it and one to the side near her right shoulder. She gently touched the scar near Beca's shoulder. She knew what this was. She had made these incisions before.

          Pulling the blankets back over Beca, Chloe got up and threw her clothes back on before leaving the room. She was upset beyond belief. Beca had a heart condition and didn't find it necessary to let her know about it. She checked the time and saw that it was eight in the morning. Chloe entered the kitchen and retrieved a pan from one of the cabinets, stopping herself from banging things around in anger. Beca had a heart condition and she had put the brunette through the paces last night. No wonder Beca hadn't wanted the lights on and had guided her hands elsewhere when it was getting close to her scars. She could've hurt her. Beca would need food and she would need to take it easy today. Sighing once again in frustration, Chloe got started on breakfast.

 

 

 

          Beca exited Chloe's room in her clothes from last night. She was happily exhausted. Chloe had been fantastic and she was pretty certain the redhead was pleased with her. At least she hoped she was. She had been out of practice for awhile. "Chloe?" She called as she walked further out into the apartment.

          "In here," Chloe deadpanned.

          Beca frowned at how the redhead sounded. She entered the kitchen and saw Chloe picking at the breakfast she had made. "Hey, you okay?"

          "Is it a pacemaker or an ICD?" Chloe asked looking up from her plate to meet Beca's eyes.

          Beca froze and her eyes widened in shock.

          "I saw them while you were sleeping."

          Beca closed her eyes for a brief moment, upset that she hadn't thought about the possibility of Chloe seeing her scars the morning after. "Chloe-,"

          "Which one is it?" Chloe asked.

          "An ICD," Beca replied in barely a whisper.

          "Which definitely means you should've told me that you had one implanted." Chloe stood up from the stool and moved closer to Beca. "I could've hurt you. Anything could've happened and I would've been caught unaware because you didn't tell me about this!"

          Beca reached for Chloe's hand and the redhead folded her arms across her chest. "I wanted you to see me as Beca Mitchell, DJ extraordinaire or something. Not Beca Mitchell the cardiac patient. Everyone always treats me differently when they know. I didn't want that to happen with you. I like you a lot, Chloe. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

          "You need to eat," Chloe said, still fuming. "We can talk about this later."

          Beca rolled her eyes. "See? You're already treating me like a patient."

          Chloe glared at the brunette. "Don't be an idiot, Beca. I'm treating you like someone I care about. Eat and then we can talk."

          "I don't want to eat. I want us to talk now." Beca urged.

          Chloe closed her eyes to calm herself. "Beca I swear to god if you do not get some food and water into your system right now..."

          Beca sat down at the counter without saying a word.

          "I'm going to take a shower." Chloe needed to think some more about this situation. "Will you stay?"

          Beca nodded as she reluctantly picked up the fork from the plate. She heard the bathroom door slam and she hated herself for making Chloe so upset. Whatever they had was over. She knew that for sure. No one ever stayed when they found out.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

          Chloe finally exited the bathroom an hour later and found Beca napping on the couch. She didn't mean to take so long but she was drawing out the inevitable because she wasn't sure how things were about to go down. The redhead moved over to the couch and kneeled down in front of the brunette. "Beca?" She placed a gentle touch on Beca's shoulder.

          Beca's eyes opened and she immediately sat up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

          "It's fine. Sorry I took so long." Chloe sat down on the couch across from Beca. "I'm ready to talk."

          Beca let out a breath and words spilled from her mouth. "I wanted to tell you about my heart condition. I almost did yesterday but I didn't want things between us to stop. It was stupid. I know. I'm sorry I put you in a position where things might've gone wrong. I was trying to keep things between us light so you wouldn't get hurt but that's so hard to do when I like you so much. I guess friends with benefits was a way to kind of get what I wanted without dragging you into a relationship. It would've been unfair."

          "You know what's unfair?" Chloe asked. "You deciding for me what my options are. I _really_ like you too, Beca. You having a heart condition doesn't change that."

          Beca felt the tears spill from her face as she opened her mouth to speak. "It changes everything. No one ever stays. My mom left after my first heart transplant when I was ten. She couldn't handle having a sick child. Nine years later the first person I fell in love with left me when she found out and so did everyone I dated after that. Nobody wants someone defective in their life."

          Chloe's heart broke at the words of the usually confident and sarcastic DJ. "I'm still here. I'm pissed at you, but I'm still here. I want to be with you, Beca. "

          Beca shook her head. "You don' t know what you'd be getting yourself into. I don't want you to have to deal with any of it." Beca didn't want to be selfish. She didn't want to pull Chloe into a relationship that would leave the redhead heartbroken.

          "It's my decision to make," Chloe stated. "You do still want to be with me, right?"

          "I do. I just..." Beca let out a frustrated breath. "You're not understanding. We won't have thirty plus years together, Chloe. I can't even promise you tomorrow."

          "I do understand and I'm not going anywhere so stop trying to push me away."

          "I'm not trying to push you away. I just really need you to understand how a relationship might end for us. I'm no concrete plan. I don't have much of a future and-,"

          "Stop." Chloe moved so that she was kneeling in front of Beca. "Just stop, Beca. You don't have to explain this to me. I'm a doctor. I get what you're telling me. " Chloe placed her hands on Beca's thighs comfortingly. "And I'm _still_ not going anywhere. Beca you're amazing and I'd be an idiot to walk away from what we have. There's chemistry here. Am I wrong?"

          Beca shook her head. " You get me so well. I feel comfortable around you."

          Chloe smiled. "Yeah, I feel the same. You speak to my soul like you've known it before. Does that make sense?"

          "Like we've known each other in a past life or something?"

          Chloe nodded. "Yeah. We'll do things at your pace. Just be honest with me and tell me what you want. Do you want to be with me, Beca?"

          She should lie and say no in order to spare Chloe future heartbreak but when she opens her mouth to respond, she does the exact opposite. "Yes."

          Chloe leans forward and Beca meets her lips for a short kiss. "So you're my girlfriend now... just to be clear?"

          Beca let out a light laugh. "Yeah, I'm your girlfriend."

          Chloe beamed and kissed Beca again. "Awesome."

          "Very," Beca agreed.

          "We still have a lot to talk about. We can go back to my room and talk while we cuddle." Chloe stood up, pulling Beca with her.

          Beca smiled. "That sounds good."

          "And for the record, your mother is an idiot and those girls who broke your heart... they're fools. And I'm glad they're fools because if they weren't, I wouldn't have you now." Chloe pulled Beca with her to her room and the two got onto the bed.

          "Chloe," Beca began.

          "Yeah?" Chloe asked as she got comfortable next to Beca.

          "Thank you for not running."

          Chloe shook her head. "Don't thank me for staying. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

         

         

 

 

          Later that day, Chloe was in the cafeteria at the hospital rehashing last night and this mornings events to Aubrey and Stacie who were both currently in shock.

          "A heart condition?"

          "Dilated cardiomyopathy," Chloe clarified.

          "Wow," Aubrey breathed out. "That's... rough."

          "That'd be an understatement," Chloe sighed.

          "And you still want to be with her?" Stacie asked.

          "I do," Chloe replied. "I know you guys will probably thinks it's stupid since I haven't known her that long and I could cut my ties and move on but I really can't do that. She's too perfect for me. I want to be with her. And I'd really appreciate it if I had your support."

          "Totally," Stacie said. "I like Beca. She's a cool chick."

          Aubrey smiled and reached across the table to squeeze Chloe's hand. She was the logical one. She could go on and on about how dating Beca could destroy Chloe in the end but she was also Chloe's best friend. She had known the redhead since elementary school and she had never seen her best friend happy with anyone like she was with Beca. She'd keep her logic to herself this time. "You know I'm always here for you."

          Chloe smiled. "I know."

          "So what does she need?" Aubrey asked. "A heart transplant?"

          Chloe nodded. "She's been on the waiting list for awhile. She almost got one done a month ago but they gave her heart to someone who apparently needed it more. She hasn't even been in for a checkup in months. It's like she's already given up."

          "Is this her hospital?" Stacie asked.

          "It's not but I'm going to talk her into a checkup." Chloe knew Beca would probably be annoyed but she would get the brunette into this hospital to get looked at if she had to drag her in herself.   

 

 

 

          "Wow," Jesse said, happily. He was at Pulse with Beca in her office. "You're together...and she knows?"

          Beca nodded with a smile that she thought might be permanently attached to her face. "She didn't run."

          "I'm so happy for you, Beca," Jesse smiled. "We need to celebrate. I'll be right back."

          Jesse opened the office door to leave just as Mr. Mitchell was getting ready to knock. "Hey, Mr. Mitchell. Beca has good news." The boy walked by him and left Beca to tell her father she had a girlfriend.

          Mr. Mitchell looked at his daughter. "What's the news?"

          "Nothing. Ignore him." Beca said not wanting to tell her father about her personal life.

          Mr. Mitchell raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't look like nothing. I haven't seen you smile like that in awhile."

          Beca sighed. "That woman you saw me kissing the other day...Chloe, she's my girlfriend now. And yes, she knows. She knows and she's sticking around."

          Mr. Mitchell smiled, pleased with this news. "That's great, Beca. I want to meet her."

          Beca's face fell. "What? Why? She's literally been my girlfriend for six hours. My heart condition may not have scared her off but introducing her to my dad definitely will. What are you doing here, anyway?"

          "Shelia's throwing a family gathering party type thing. I figured I could talk you into coming in person better than I could over the phone."

          "Nope," Beca shook her head. "I hate family gatherings. The last time I went, grandma kept freaking out because she thought that I was dying every time I coughed."

          "Come on. She really wants you there," Mr. Mitchell said. "You can bring, Chloe. It's this weekend."

          "Then I would have to introduce her to you and we've already been over why I don't want to do that. She'll probably be busy anyway. She's a doctor."

          Mr. Mitchell looked impressed. "A doctor? Nice, Beca. I like that. Now I really have to meet her. See you on Saturday."

          "I never said yes!" Beca called after her father as he walked out of the office.

          Jesse returned with two shot glasses. He handed one over to Beca and the brunette frowned. She hadn't had a drink in years due to her heart condition worsening. "It's apple juice."

          Beca laughed. "What are we toasting to?"

          "You getting laid for one," Jesse joked.

          "You're such an ass," Beca rolled her eyes.

          Jesse held the glass out towards Beca. "To Chloe."

          Beca smiled. "To Chloe." She hit her glass to his and they both took a shot of the apple juice. "You're such a nerd," she set the glass down.

          "You love me," Jesse laughed. "So what'd your dad want?"

          "He wants me to go to a family gathering and he wants me to bring Chloe."

          "You should bring her. You'll be bored out of your mind otherwise."

          "No way. Definitely not. She'll probably hate the idea anyway. It's too soon to introduce her to family."

          "You two have practically been dating for a month now. All you did was make it official."

          Beca sighed. She'd think about it but she doubted she would throw Chloe into her crazy family environment. On most days, they made her want to run.

         

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Beca was back at home after finishing her set for the night. She wasn't feeling too well so she had told Jesse she was tired. Saying anything else would've sent the boy into worry mode. Halfway through the night her chest had started feeling tight and she knew that was her cue to rest. Grabbing a glass of water, she went into her room to take the pills she had forgotten to take earlier in the day. Another thing she had failed to mention to Jesse who would've freaked out on her.

          After taking her pills, Beca changed into plaid pajama pants and a tank top before climbing into bed. Just as she was getting comfortable, she heard the front door open and frowned. Sitting up, she left her room and saw Jesse. "What are you doing here?"

          "Benji said he saw you holding your chest tonight," Jesse said. "What's wrong?"

          Beca rolled her eyes. "You worry for nothing. You didn't have to leave work to check on me."

          Jesse raised his eyebrows waiting for an answer.       

          "I just forgot to take my medication today," Beca said. "I took it now. I just had a lot going on this morning with Chloe finding out about my shitty heart that it slipped my mind," she added quickly.

          "So you're going to be okay?" Jesse asked.

          Beca nodded. "Now I'm going to bed. Go back to work."

          Jesse watched his best friend go back to her room before he sat down on the couch. He noticed Beca's bag on the coffee table and glanced back in the direction she had gone before digging into her bag for her phone. When he didn't find it, he sighed and relaxed on the couch.

          "Go to work!" Beca yelled from her room.

          "I will! I just want to grab something to eat real quick!" He yelled back.

          After twenty minutes passed, Jesse got up and headed towards Beca's room. He slowly cracked the door open and saw that the brunette was asleep. He took her phone from the nightstand and left the room, going through her contact list.

          "Hey, hi... um, this is Jesse... no, no. Beca's fine... she forgot to take her medication so she's feeling a little... blah, so I was wondering if you could come over and stay with her. I need to be at work but I don't want to leave her alone... that's perfect... I'll see you soon."

 

 

          Jesse opened the door when he heard the knock and he smiled a greeting at Chloe. "Thanks for coming. I hope you weren't busy."

          "I was just leaving work. It's fine. Where is she?" Chloe entered the apartment and turned to look at Jesse.

          "She's in her room asleep. She's probably going to be pissed that I called you."

          "I'll handle it," Chloe said. "Thanks for calling me."

          Jesse smiled and bid Chloe farewell before leaving to go back to the club. Chloe locked the door and went into Beca's room.

          She kicked off her shoes and set her bag down on the dresser before crawling into the bed.

          "Jesse I'm alive. You don't need to check my pulse. Go away," Beca muttered tiredly.

          Chloe smiled. "If I don't check your pulse, can I stay?"

          Beca turned around in surprise. "Chloe? What are you doing here?"

          "Jesse didn't want to leave you alone. He told me you forgot to take your meds."

          "He worries too much." Beca couldn't be too annoyed. She was glad to see Chloe. "You didn't leave all those sick people at work to come babysit me did you?"

          "No." Chloe pulled Beca closer to her. "I was already on my way out." She placed a kiss on Beca's neck. "How was your day?"

          "Uneventful. My dad visited. He wants me to bring someone to my stepmother's yearly family gathering this Saturday."

          "And who are you bringing?" Chloe looked into Beca's eyes with amusement.

          "He might've mentioned me maybe bringing you," Beca said.

          "He wants you to bring me but you don't want me to go. Is that it?" Chloe asked.

          "That's exactly it," Beca said, happy that Chloe had caught on quickly.

          "Well, what if I want to go?" Chloe asked.

          Beca furrowed her brows. "Then there's something wrong with you. Why would you willingly want to be thrown to the wolves?"

          "I don't mind. Unless you really don't want me to go..."

          "No, I want you to go. I just thought it'd be too soon for something like that."

          "It probably is but you can show me off so your family can wonder how the hell you managed to get a hottie like me."

          Beca scoffed. "I had you charmed within minutes.

          Chloe kissed Beca gently. "Seconds even. Let's go to sleep. I'm exhausted."

          "Work kick your ass today?" Beca asked.

          "I kicked works ass and it's worn me out." Chloe turned around so that her back was against Beca's front and the two cuddled into each other. The redhead smiled as Beca began to hum _Titanium_ and within a few minutes she was out.

         

 

 

          The next morning Beca woke up to the smell of breakfast in the air. She felt around beside her and groaned disapprovingly when she was met with empty space. Reluctantly getting out of bed, Beca made her way to the kitchen.

          Chloe smiled when she saw her girlfriend. "Good morning."

          "Morning." Beca placed a kiss on Chloe's cheek. "Why aren't you in my bed keeping me warm?"

          Chloe laughed. "Because I'm out here making you breakfast." The redhead turned off the stove and then moved the contents of the pan to a plate.

          "You know you don't have to make me breakfast." Beca sat down on one of the stools and Chloe joined her.

          "I know. It's just nice having someone to cook for."

          The two ate mostly in silence and once they were done they found themselves in the shower together.

          Chloe was currently placing kisses along Beca's neck as the water cascaded down over them. "Are you feeling better this morning?"

          "Yeah," Beca breathed out at Chloe continued to assault her neck.

          "Think we could move this to the bedroom?" Chloe asked.

          "We could definitely do that." Beca reached forward and shut off the water.

 

 

 

          After their love-making, Beca was lying in bed enjoying the feeling of Chloe drawing small patterns on her back with her finger.

          "So why a doctor?" Beca asked, suddenly. Chloe was perky, fun and all smiles. She would think being a doctor would drain the redhead of her liveliness but it hadn't.

          Chloe's finger stopped it's actions for a moment before they continued their random pattern. "I wanted to do something that would validate my life. Plus I love helping people. I get a rush from saving lives."

          "Okay, so why a heart surgeon?"

          "Actually, I'm a heart, chest and lung surgeon," Chloe corrected.

          "Okay, so why that?" Beca asked with a smile.

          "I like a challenge." Chloe placed a kiss between Beca's shoulder blades. "Maybe that's why I was first attracted to you. The stubborn patient with a bad attitude."

          Beca chuckled and turned to face Chloe. "I wasn't that bad," she said through a yawn.

          Chloe ran a hand through Beca's hair. "Get some sleep."

          "Sorry." Beca hated that she was so tired but she had exerted her energy with Chloe a few minutes ago and did need to rest a bit.

          Chloe placed a kiss on Beca's lips. "I'm not mad. I'll be here when you wake up. I don't work."

          Beca drifted off to sleep and Chloe was content with watching the brunette nap until she herself fell asleep.

         

 

 

A few days later...

          Mr. Mitchell approached his daughter in the backyard of his home. He could tell she was a bit nervous and went to go find out why. "What's the matter? You look like you're seconds away from pacing."

          "Please don't say anything embarrassing," Beca said. "And don't let grandma get more than a few words in. You know how she is. Absolutely no filter."

          "We'll be cool. No worries," Mr. Mitchell promised. "Where is your girlfriend anyway?"

          "A surgery is running later than she had planned." Beca had received the call from Chloe's intern, Amy about the redhead being stuck in surgery. "She should be here soon... unless she's come to her senses and realized what a bad idea this is."                  

           Mr. Mitchell saw a redhead exit the house and walk into the backyard with his wife. "She's here."

          Beca turned her head to look where her father was looking and her jaw dropped. Chloe was in a simple black dress that hugged her just right. The brunette waited for Chloe to reach her and smiled. "You look gorgeous. You didn't have to dress up."

          Chloe flashed her a smile. "I know. That's why I'm wearing flats instead of heels." Chloe gave Beca a quick kiss. "Sorry I'm late."

          "Well worth the wait." Beca's eyes trailed down Chloe's body.

          Chloe laughed and pushed her gently. "Stop perving. Show me off."

          Beca turned to her dad who was thoroughly amused by the two's interactions. "Um, Dad this is Chloe... Chloe this is my dad."

          "Call me Ethan," Mr. Mitchell shook Chloe's hand. "I heard you were a Cardiothoracic surgeon. I'm rather impressed."

          A man probably younger than Beca approached them. "I'm more impressed that Beca snatched you up. She's a disaster with the ladies. One time..."

          "No, no one times. We're not telling stories," Beca cut in.

          Chloe pouted. "Just one."

          "Yeah, Beca. Just one." The brunette's cousin grinned knowing he'd be able to tell his story.

          Beca rolled her eyes. "One."

          Chloe listened as Beca's cousin launched into a story about how Beca nervously tried to ask a woman out back in college but ended up spilling her drink on her instead, smiling when Beca would cringe at the details of the story.

          Once the story was over, Chloe turned to look at Beca. "You spilled your drink on her?"

          "I still got her number and we dated for a few weeks," Beca added. "Don't forget that part." Beca took Chloe's hand into hers. "Come on. Let me go introduce you around."

 

 

 

          Everyone loved Chloe. Beca wasn't surprised by this. The redhead was great in social settings and she was currently making everyone laugh at all her hospital horror stories. As she watched her girlfriend reenact a story, she was approached by her grandmother.

          "Let's go inside for a bit," her grandmother said.

          "Are you feeling okay?" Beca asked as she followed the woman into the house.

          "I just want to talk." The woman sat down and looked at Beca. "Beca, dear, what are you doing with that woman?"

          Beca frowned. She thought Chloe was great. Did her grandmother have different ideas of the redhead? "Um... I like her. She's really great. Do you not agree?"

          "Oh, I agree. She's perfect for you. I can tell she makes you happy."

          "Then what's wrong?" Beca asked.

          Her grandmother sighed. "I don't have to tell you that you're dying, Beca. It's selfish to be in a relationship with that woman. She's going to get hurt. Look at her now. She's having a good time and she's happy. What happens when she falls in love with you and you die? She's going to be left a mess. I want you to be happy but you can't ignored reality, Beca. You need to end things with Chloe before it's too late and she ends up heartbroken."

          Beca said nothing as her grandmother left the kitchen to head back out to the party. Beca felt the tears coming and quickly headed to the bathroom. She couldn't be upset. Her grandmother was right. Everyone was probably thinking it, too. There was a knock at the door and Beca sighed. "I'll be out in a minute."

          "Are you okay?" Chloe asked through the door.

          Beca wiped her eyes and pulled the door open. "Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled.

          Chloe frowned and she stopped the woman from walking past her. "You've been crying."   

          "It's nothing."

          "It's not nothing. Talk to me, please."

          "Not here."

          "Yes, here." Chloe entered the bathroom and closed the door. "What happened?"

          Beca closed her eyes and took a moment to get herself together. This wasn't going to be easy but she needed to do it. She opened her eyes and met Chloe's piercing blue orbs. "We can't do this."

          "Do what?" Chloe asked.

          "Be together. It was stupid of me to think we could be happy."

          "Did I do something wrong?" Chloe asked unsure of what had caused the brunette to feel this way.

          "You're perfect," Beca assured her girlfriend. "It's me. I'm sorry. I can't do this. It's not fair to you."

          "We talked about this already," Chloe said. "I thought we were on the same page. Now we're not even on the same book. Did someone say something."

          Beca nodded. "And they were right. I'm being selfish. We should go."

          "Can we talk about this?" Chloe asked.

          "There's nothing left to say. Can we just go please? I don't want to be here anymore."

          "Okay, okay," Chloe opened the bathroom door and watched as Beca immediately headed for the front door. Not wanting to be rude, she went to Mr. Mitchell to let him know that Beca wasn't feeling well so they'd be going home.

          As Chloe rounded the house to get to her car, she saw that Beca had already left. Sighing, she walked towards her car, trying not to cry until she reached her home.

          "Chloe." Mr. Mitchell approached the woman.

          Chloe kept her back to the man but stopped walking.

          "Did something happen between you and Beca?" He asked.

          "No, we're fine. I should really get going."

          "Then why did she leave already?" Mr. Mitchell asked.

          Chloe's shoulders dropped and she turned to face the man. "She is so infuriating. We talked about being together despite her being sick and we were fine with it. One person says something negative to her about it and she's bolting. Now we're back at square one. I know she's worried about possibly dying and leaving me behind but I'm an adult. I know what I'm getting myself into. I want to be with her. Why can't she just let us be together?"

          Mr. Mitchell took a few steps towards Chloe. "She's just scared. More so for you than for herself. She doesn't want to put you through anything if it can be avoided."

          "I don't need her to protect me. I just want her to let me in." Chloe ran a hand through her hair.

          "I think my mother's probably the one who set her off. Just give her sometime to calm down. Beca's an emotional person. She acts before she thinks sometimes. She'll be coming to her senses before you know it."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

          A few days had passed and Beca had not come to her senses. Chloe exited an operating room and headed straight for the locker room. She had been lost in work for the past few days trying to forget about her, presumably, ex-girlfriend. Beca wouldn't return her calls or even acknowledge her existence.

          Aubrey entered the locker room as Chloe was peeling off her scrubs. The redhead had been upset the last few days and had been working nonstop. "Finally going home?"

          "No, I'm going to take a shower and then catch some sleep in an on-call room." Chloe opened her locker and pulled out a fresh pair of scrubs.

          "Have you tried going to her apartment?" Aubrey asked.

          "I'm not running after her," Chloe said. "If she's going to ignore me, then fine. I can do the same. She knows where to find me." Chloe slammed her locker and headed for the showers.

          Aubrey left the locker room and stopped Amy when she saw the blonde walking past her. "You..."

          "Amy," the blonde said.

          "I don't care what your name is. Just fine my intern and tell her to watch after my patients until I get back."

          "Where are you going?" Amy asked.

          "I need to go knock some sense into Chloe's stupid girlfriend," Aubrey sighed before walking off.

 

 

 

          Jesse entered his apartment and saw Beca on the couch watching TV looking as miserable as ever. "Are you going to come back to work anytime soon? You can't just lay around all day."

          "I don't feel like doing anything," Beca replied as she stared at the TV.

          "You do realize this is your fault, right?" Jesse took the remote from the coffee table and turned off the TV. "You left her."

          "I was just doing the right thing." Beca sat up, running a hand through her unkempt hair. "Why is everyone getting on my case for doing the right thing?"

          "Because it so obviously wasn't the right thing. It was the stupid thing. You talk about everyone always running but she wasn't running, Beca. She stayed and you pushed her away. Now look at you."

          "Shut up, Jesse." Beca didn't need her best friend's lectures right now. She stood up to leave but he stepped into her path.

          "I don't understand it. You had someone who wasn't afraid of your heart condition. Why did you let her go? Because you're trying to be selfless? You don't want her hurting in the end? Well you're hurting her now, Beca."

          "God, Jesse. Just mind your business."

          "You're no different from your mother," Jesse spat. "You're both runners."

          "Fuck you, Jesse! I'm nothing like my mother!" Beca snapped, angrily.

          "No? Then why are you sitting here alone when you could be with a woman who cares about you?" Jesse stormed out of the apartment leaving Beca to think about his words.

          Beca was furious. How dare he say she was like her mother. She wasn't done. She had a few choice words for her best friend. Slipping her shoes on, she grabbed her keys from the coffee table. As she headed for the door, she stopped instantly when she felt her chest tighten to a painful squeeze. Dropping her keys, she placed a hand to her chest and let out a slur of curse words as she dropped to her knees. She felt the first painful shock from her ICD before she blacked out.

 

 

          Aubrey knocked on the door to Beca's apartment and rolled her eyes when there was no answer. She had just been by the club and was told that the brunette hadn't come into work. She wasn't in the mood to go on a wild goose chase for the woman. She knocked again and when she didn't get an answer, she tried the doorknob. She was surprised to find it unlocked. She pushed the door open slowly and stuck her head inside. "Shit!" She exclaimed when she saw Beca on the floor. She rushed over to the brunette and turned her onto her back. She placed two fingers to the pulse point on her neck and felt a very faint pulse. "Shit, shit, shit." An ambulance would be a waste of time. The hospital was about twenty minutes away. Well, ten with the way she was about to drive. Lifting the petite brunette into her arms, Aubrey rushed to her car.

 

 

 

          Aubrey had called the hospital and was glad when she saw doctors waiting at the ambulance bay with a gurney. She jumped out of her car and watched as they pulled Beca from her backseat. She tossed her keys to her intern and followed the gurney inside as they attached things to the brunette.

          "She's in V-fib!" One of the doctors announced.

          Aubrey quickly climbed onto the gurney and began chest compressions as they rolled her towards the elevator. "Come on, Beca! Don't do this!" As she continued the compressions, she let the doctors know what she knew about Beca's health from what Chloe had told her. Once they reached the cardiac floor, it was only a matter of seconds before Chloe spotted Aubrey performing chest compressions to a very pale Beca.

          Chloe left the nurse she had been talking to and rushed over to the gurney. "What happened?" She asked near hysteria.

          "Heart failure." Aubrey hopped off the gurney and looked at one of the doctors. "We've got her back. Get her set up. I'll be the lead on this one."

          "No. Me," Chloe insisted.

          "You can't. You won't think straight." Aubrey rushed off to the locker room to change into her scrubs and Chloe followed her.

          "I'm watching, then," Chloe said.

          Aubrey finished pulling on her scrubs. "No, Chloe, you're not. You're going to make the calls you need to make to get her family here and then you're going to sit in the waiting room. I can't save her life with you breathing down my neck. Do you understand?"

          Chloe nodded and Aubrey ran out of the room to go prepare for surgery.

 

 

 

          Chloe was sitting in the waiting room when Mr. Mitchell rushed up to her. "Where is she? How is she?" Chloe had asked him not to bring a bunch of people. She knew Beca wouldn't want a crowd around her. It probably wasn't her place but she was glad the man had listened.

          "She's in surgery." Chloe stood up to face the man. "Dr. Posen is one of the best. She'll make sure Beca comes out of this."

          "How could she have heart failure? The ICD is supposed to ensure this doesn't happen, right?"

          "The ICD saved her life. If she didn't have it..." Chloe sighed. "It can only do so much, though. She needs a new heart." Aubrey had sent someone out to update Chloe while she waited and from what she was told, Beca's heart wouldn't last more than a month at this rate. "They're putting in a different ICD. She has a dual-chamber one right now and they're changing it to a biventricular one. It'll be better for her." Chloe wiped the tear that escaped her eye. "It shouldn't be much longer."

          Jesse ran up to them and looked from Mr. Mitchell to Chloe. "What happened?"

          Chloe told him everything she had told Beca's father.

          Jesse sunk into the nearest chair and shook his head. "I'm such an idiot. We fought and I was yelling at her. I told her she was like her mother... always running. I knew it would piss her off. She was just being so hardheaded. She's a mess over you, Chloe. She misses you but she refuses to do anything about it because she has it stuck in her head that you can do better than her. She doesn't want to die and leave you to pick up the pieces. I shouldn't have started an argument with her." Jesse placed his hands over his face and Mr. Mitchell went to sit by him. He patted the young man on his back.

          "She'll be okay."

          Cynthia Rose exited the operating room and approached the three. The intern looked nervous so Chloe urged her on.

          "What's happening?" the redhead asked.

          "She keeps crashing. It's not looking good. You need to prepare yourself for the worse." Mr. Mitchell and Jesse began to cry and Cynthia Rose pulled Chloe away from them. "The other doctors want to call it but Dr. Posen won't give up. She's in good hands, Dr. Beale. Dr. Posen will do everything she can."

          Chloe couldn't stay here. She was starting to feel like she couldn't breathe. She wasn't good at being the one on this end. She needed to be in the operating room doing something. Not standing out here wondering if Aubrey was doing everything she would do. "I'll be right back." Chloe left the hospital and took in a breath of fresh air the second she was outside. As she went to exhale, a sob came out of her. She leaned against the nearest wall and allowed herself to cry.

          "Chloe?" She heard minutes later.

          Chloe looked up and saw Aubrey standing before her. Her heart began to race as she waited to hear Beca's fate.

         


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

          Aubrey took a step towards Chloe and let out a breath. "Your girlfriend is a pain in the ass. She kept fucking crashing and there was no way in hell I was leaving that O.R. until she was alive and stable. I haven't felt your wrath since that time during our residency when I beat you out for that kidney transplant. I'm not in a rush to experience that again."

          Chloe's eyes lit up. "She's-,"

          "Stable," Aubrey smiled. "She's definitely not out of the woods yet but she's stable right now. And I need a shot of something because _god;_ talk about pressure."

          Chloe threw her arms around her best friend and squeezed her tight. "Thank you!"

          Aubrey returned the hug. "Her father is in there with her now. She probably won't be up for another few hours, though. I'm going to see about getting her bumped up on the transplant list and then I'll probably seriously get that shot with Stacie."

          Chloe smiled. "You deserve all the shots you want."

          "Just one," Aubrey said. "I might have to come back." She knew Beca was stable but that could change at any given moment. She was just glad she was able to deliver good news tonight.

          Aubrey showed Chloe to Beca's room and took a moment to check the brunette's vitals before leaving to go find Stacie.

          Mr. Mitchell and Jesse who had been in the room, left so that Chloe could be alone with Beca.

          Chloe stood beside the bed, looking down at the brunette. "You scared us there for awhile." She leaned down and kissed Beca on the forehead. "Please make it through the night." Chloe sat down on the chair by the bed and held Beca's hand. She wasn't planning on going anywhere. She wanted to be here when Beca woke up and more importantly, if anything went wrong.

          Beca's eyes fluttered open and she immediately knew where she was due to the beeping on the monitor. "Damn it." She went to raise her hand to run it through her hair but something was stopping it. She looked down and saw a mass of red hair by her leg. Beca pulled her hand out of Chloe's grasp and ran her hand through Chloe's hair. "Chloe," she tried to say but the words barely escaped her lips.

          The door to the hospital opened and Beca saw Stacie enter the room.

          "Hey, you're up," Stacie said, happily. "I was just checking on Chloe. She's been in here all night." Stacie got the brunette some water in a cup and placed a straw in it. She held it to her lips and Beca sipped it.

          "Thank you," Beca said. "Can you tell me what happened?"

          "Your heart crapped out on you," Stacie answered.

          Amy entered the room and looked pleased to see that Beca was up. "Hey, you're up. You died like... a lot. It was intense. We didn't even think you'd make it through the night."

          "Way to be insensitive," Stacie chided the intern.

          Beca smirked at the two. This definitely wasn't what she was expecting to wake up to. Chloe stirred and raised her head due to the noise.

          "Beca?" She smiled when she saw that the woman was up. "How are you feeling?"

          "Like someone took a scalpel to my chest."

          "We'll leave you two to it," Stacie said, pulling Amy out of the room.

          Chloe rubbed her neck. It was stiff from how she had fallen asleep. "That would be Aubrey. Do you want a run down of what happened and what's going to happen?"

          Beca shook her head. "I want to apologize to you right now. I was an idiot. I don't want to not be with you. I panicked. It's just hard."

          Chloe stayed silent. She didn't want to push Beca into a conversation this serious after she had just had major surgery. "We can talk about it later."

          "I need to talk about it now. I don't mean to be difficult, Chloe. I just don't know how to be loved. It's scary and me dying makes it even scarier. And if it scares me, then I know you have to be terrified."

          Chloe smiled gently and took Beca's hand back into hers. "I know it's tough to be loved and I am scared because the thought of losing you when I've just found you is scary but I'd rather be in love with you then never know the feeling of loving you." Chloe stood up and leant down to kiss Beca.

          "Whoa," Aubrey entered the room. "None of that. You don't need your heart going haywire again. You're lucky, by the way." Aubrey picked up the clipboard that was hanging on the bottom of the bed. "If I hadn't found you on the floor, I would've kicked your ass."    

          Beca frowned. "You found me?"

          Aubrey told Beca the story of how she had been at her house to give her a good talking to and how it ended with her rushing the brunette to the hospital.

          "Thank you," Beca said. "I owe you."

          Aubrey waved her off. "I'm a doctor. It's what I do. Just don't hurt my best friend again or I'll pummel you."

          "Noted," Beca said.

          "Aubrey don't threaten her," Chloe said, disapprovingly.

          "Why not?" Aubrey asked. "Because she's bed ridden from just having major surgery? That's the best time to threaten her." Aubrey went about checking Beca's vitals and nodded in approval. "Good. You need to get food into your system and then I'll be back to run you through a few things. Unless..." Aubrey looked at Chloe and raised an eyebrow as if to say, "do you want to tell her?"

          "I'll talk to her," Chloe said.

          "Talk to me about what?" Beca asked.

          Aubrey left the room, closing the door behind her and Chloe bit her lower lip as she thought of how to tell her girlfriend how short her lifespan had become overnight.

          "You have about a month with your heart," Chloe said, honestly. "Maybe not even that. You've been bumped up on the transplant list."

          "A month?" Beca always knew she could die at any moment but having an actual time limit made it more real. "What can I do in a month? I've only taken you on three official dates. And I've been meaning to go back to that pottery class because I want to make you a cup with the lyrics of _Titanium_ printed on it. And I've been telling Jesse since forever that I'll watch Star Wars with him. I still have mixes I haven't gotten around to making-," Beca began to cry and Chloe pulled her in for a hug. "You can take me on a date to that pottery class. Two birds, one stone. And you'll still have time to watch Star Wars... even though watching that might take up a lot of time that I'd rather you spend with me."

          Beca laughed and wiped her eyes. "I'm a mess."

          "You're beautiful." Chloe kissed Beca on the cheek. "You can do anything you want to do, Beca and I'll be there with you every step of the way." Chloe kissed her girlfriend again. "You really do need to eat. I'll be right back."

          Beca nodded and watched Chloe leave the room. She had come to terms with dying. She had been completely prepared for it, but then Chloe Beale walked into her life and now she wasn't ready at all. There was so much she wanted to experience. A month wasn't enough. She felt herself becoming angry at Chloe but shook off the irrationality of that anger. It wasn't Chloe's fault that she had stirred all these feelings in her. She was actually grateful for the redhead bringing meaning into her life. Feeling her chest tighten from her mini freak out, Beca let out a calming breath and closed her eyes, letting herself relax as she waited for Chloe to return.

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

A week later...       

          Beca was lying in bed tired from the day's activities. She had spent some time with her father, she had watched _Star Wars_ with Jesse, she had worked on some killer mixes that she couldn't wait to play at Pulse and she had gone shopping at the mall for a present for Chloe. The mall alone had worn her out considerably.

          There was a knock on her bedroom door and she smiled when she saw Chloe enter. "Jesse's heading out. He told me to tell you you're having another movie marathon tomorrow."

          "Oh yay, I can't wait," Beca said, sarcastically.

          Chloe crawled onto the bed and kissed her girlfriend. When the kiss intensified and Beca slid her hand up Chloe's shirt, Chloe pulled away. "Behave. I heard you had a long day."

          "I can muster up the energy." Beca went in to kiss Chloe but the redhead wouldn't allow it.

          "In the morning... maybe." Chloe kissed Beca on the cheek and cuddled up beside her.

          "How was your day of saving lives?" Beca asked.

          "Tiring but good." Chloe turned so that she was facing her girlfriend. "What'd you do today?"

          "Lots. I went to the mall and I survived. Barely. Why do people just suddenly stop walking in a crowded hallway? They don't have headlights on their ass for me to know that they're stopping."

          Chloe laughed. "Never going to the mall again?"

          "Definitely not. Online shopping is the way to go."

          "Why'd you go today?" Chloe asked. "I doubt you woke up this morning and thought, "hey, I really want to go to the mall and have people grate my nerves."

          "No, my thoughts were more along the lines of, "hey, I really need to get my awesome girlfriend a gift." Beca retrieved a small wrapped up box from under her pillow.

          Chloe's eyes widened as she sat up excitedly. "What's the occasion?"

          Beca shrugged. "Just wanted to get you something." Beca had wanted to get Chloe something now in case she didn't make it to their one-year anniversary.  She wouldn't share that with the redhead, though. It was too depressing of a thought.

          Chloe removed the wrapping paper and was shocked to see a long jewelry box. She looked up at Beca and the brunette laughed.

          "Well open it."

          Chloe opened the box and saw a silver necklace with a blue pendant that matched her eyes.

          "It'll bring out your eyes," Beca said. "I hope you like it. I've never bought anyone jewelry before.

          "It's perfect! You're perfect!" Chloe leaned down to kiss Beca and it quickly turned into a heavy make-out session. Chloe finally pulled away to catch her breath. "We can't."

          Beca sighed. "I know." She took the necklace from her girlfriend and placed it around her neck. She brushed Chloe's hair out of the way and placed a kiss on her neck.

          Chloe turned around to face Beca with a smile. "I really do love it. Thank you."

          "You're welcome. You can think of me when you wear it." Beca rolled her eyes at herself. "That was cheesy. What have you turned me into?"

          Chloe giggled and laid back down with the brunette. "Don't blame me for your sappiness and I don't need a necklace to think about you. I do that enough on my own."

          Beca pulled Chloe into her. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

          "Spending the day with you hopefully. I took the next five days off."

          Beca sat up looking pleased. "You can do that?"

          "I told them I had a family emergency a week ago. I had to finish my surgeries for the week and now I'm all yours for the next few days."

          "We're totally having a picnic at the park among other romantic cliché things."

          "I'm a sucker for romantic cliché things."  

          "Good, and then tomorrow night I want you to join me at Pulse."

          Chloe frowned. "You're working? You're supposed to wait another week."

          "I have one set. One set isn't going to kill me."

          Chloe sighed. "Okay." She had been trying really hard to suppress her overprotective side but that was proving to be difficult for her these last few days. "Have you taken your meds? Have you eaten? I can make you something."

          As Chloe moved to get up, Beca stopped her by wrapping an arm around her waist. "I don't need anything but you right now." Beca had been irritated by Chloe's hovering when she had first left the hospital but quickly realized it was how the redhead was dealing. Chloe was used to fixing things and this wasn't something she could fix so she helped how she could. "Let's go to bed."

         

 

 

          The next night, Chloe entered Pulse with Aubrey and Stacie. "I'll catch up with you at the bar!" she yelled to them over the music. She made her way over to the turntable where Beca was.

          Beca winked at Chloe in greeting but the redhead crossed her arms over her chest and gave her a "you're in trouble" look.

          Beca ended her set and found herself being pulled towards her office. "What'd I do?" she asked once they reached their destination, only the buzzing bass of the music reaching her office.

          "I called you three times. Where's your phone?" Chloe asked. Beca gestured to her desk where her cell phone was and Chloe rolled her eyes. "You need to have it on you at all times, Beca! You know what happens when you miss a call from the hospital letting you know they have a heart for you, right?"

          Beca sighed and leaned against her desk. "Yeah, they give the heart to-,"

          "-to someone who answers their goddamn phone!" Chloe snapped.

          Beca frowned and stood up straight. "Chloe, chill. I'm sorry I didn't have my phone on me."

          Chloe ran a hand through her hair. "No, I'm sorry. That was hulk-Chloe." She wrapped her arms around Beca. "You need your phone on you. It's literally life or death, babe. I'm sorry I yelled. I just... I need you to have that phone with you."

          "I understand. I'm sorry. It was stupid of me to leave it in here. Are we good?"

          Chloe nodded and kissed her girlfriend. "That mix you were playing when I arrived was super epic, by the way."

          Beca smiled happily at the compliment. "I know, right? It's the best mix I've ever done. It's Chloe-inspired so I'm glad you like it."

          "Look at you being all sweet after I just hulked out on you. Again, really sorry."

          "I get it. And you were right. I need to have my phone on me." Beca picked up her phone. "I'll check it every five minutes, I promise. Now come on." Beca tugged Chloe towards the office door. "I have music to play and a sexy girlfriend to watch dance."

 

 

Two weeks later...

         

           Things had been going great for Beca. She had amazing friends, she had become great friends with Aubrey and Stacie, she had an amazing girlfriend and she was enjoying life. So of course when she woke up that morning feeling like shit, she wasn't surprised. Things were going too well. Something had to go wrong eventually and since a month was coming up, she knew exactly what it had to be. Beca felt nauseous as she rolled out of bed and a wave of dizziness hit her. She entered her bathroom just as a coughing fit started.

 

 

          Jesse exited his room and knocked on Beca's room door. "Hey, Beca what's on our list of fun things to do today?" When he didn't get an answer he knocked again. "Rise and shine!" He cracked the door open and looked inside. "Beca?" He heard the coughing coming from the bathroom and quickly made his way in that direction. "Hey, are you okay?" He saw the brunette cough up into the sink and frowned. "Beca?" Jesse rushed out of the room and returned with his cell phone to his ear. "I need an ambulance... she has a heart condition and she's coughing up this stuff... I don't know! ...I am calm!" Jesse took a deep breath and looked into the sink. "It's like... pink foamy mucus tinged with blood. What does that mean? ...You don't know? What good are you? Get an ambulance here now!" Jesse hung up the phone and quickly called Aubrey. He knew Beca wouldn't want Chloe worrying. He knelt down beside his best friend who had taken a seat on the floor. "Hey, you're going to be okay."

          "You... don't sound... so sure of that." Beca was having trouble breathing and this worried Jesse even more.

          Jesse heard Aubrey answer her phone and felt a wave of relief wash over him at having someone knowledgeable to help him. "Aubrey, Beca's coughing up pink foamy mucus and she's having shortness of breath. I called an ambulance but what should I be doing until then?"

          "Jesse those are signs of acute heart failure. There's nothing you can do. Just wait for the ambulance. I'm on my way to the hospital now. Have you called Chloe?"

          "No, I haven't."

          "Good. I'll talk to her. Hey, Beca's probably scared. You need to not freak out right now. Keep it together for her. Do you understand?"

          "Yeah.. yes. I got it." Jesse hung up the phone and looked at Beca who had gotten paler. "Hey."

          "Hi." Jesse sat down beside her and she rested her head on his shoulder.

          "If you didn't want to watch _The Breakfast Club_ all you had to do was tell me," Jesse joked.

          Beca smiled. "Don't... make me laugh. It hurts. We... should go... outside."

          "Right, because I hung up on the operator and the EMTs won't know which apartment to go to. I'm such an idiot." Jesse dialed 911 again. "You just relax. You're going to be okay." Jesse wondered if he said it enough if it'd end up being true.

         


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Audrey rushed into the hospital and headed straight for the locker room to change into her scrubs. How was she going to tell her best friend that her girlfriend was currently having heart failure? Taking in a deep breath of courage, Aubrey headed to the operating room where she knew Chloe was and entered the room, covering her face with a surgical mask. "Chloe how much longer do you have with this surgery?"

          "Aubrey?" Chloe asked as she continued her work. "I thought today was your day off."

          "How much longer, Chloe?" Aubrey asked.

          "I just need to stitch him up," Chloe said. "Why?"

          "Can someone else stitch him up?" Aubrey asked. "I need to speak with you."

          "Jessica," Chloe said and the doctor nodded her head as she took over for Chloe.

          Chloe washed up and disposed of her gloves and surgical gown before joining Aubrey outside if the room. "What's going on? Is it Beca? It's Beca isn't it?"

          Aubrey nodded. "She's on her way here in an ambulance. I spoke to Jesse. It sounds like acute heart failure. She needs a heart and we don't have one for her. I'll get her stable and make her as comfortable as I can. There's nothing else we can do."

          "I know," Chloe said, softly. "Thank you for taking point on this. I wouldn't have trusted anyone else."

          Aubrey hugged her friend. "Of course. I'll always be here for you, Chlo."

          A gurney came rushing down the hall and Aubrey pulled away to prepare to do everything she could for Beca.

          Chloe's heart broke as she watched Aubrey disappear into an operating room with her girlfriend. Chloe looked at Jesse and he looked at her as if she held all the answers. She didn't know what to tell him, though. She could barely think right now. "Call her father." Chloe walked down the hall, entering the closest on-call room. She sat down on the edge of the bed and allowed herself to cry. Beca wasn't doing well and they didn't have a heart for her. It wasn't fair.   

          The door to the on-call room opened and Chloe felt someone sit down beside her. She then felt a comforting arm around her shoulders. "She's in good hands," she heard Stacie say.

          "I love her... I'm in love with her," Chloe cried. "I don't want to lose her. Today's too soon. I'm not ready. I'll never be ready."

          Stacie pulled the redhead closer to her. "I know." Stacie placed a kiss on Chloe's head. "Let it out. It's all right."

         

 

 

          Hours later, Chloe found herself standing outside of Beca's hospital room. The girl had been stable for awhile now but the redhead had busied herself with making rounds and paperwork. She knocked gently on the door and pushed it open slowly. She saw Beca sitting up in bed writing something.

          "Look who it is," Beca grinned. "I was starting to think you were pissed at me for nearly dying."

          Chloe closed the door and walked further into the room. "That wouldn't be fair."

          "No, it wouldn't be," Beca agreed.

          "But I was," Chloe said, sheepishly. "I knew what I was getting myself into when I found out about your heart condition. I knew how things could end. I was always realistic about it. I'm a doctor. I know survival rates and percentages. And I know you were afraid of this happening... me hurting. It was inevitable, though. I'm hurting right now because this sucks but I wouldn't change a thing... except the cardiomyopathy thing.  I'm glad I met you and I wanted you to know that you mean everything to me." Chloe let out a breath. "That's all. I wanted to get that out."

          Beca smiled and gestured for Chloe to join her on the bed.

          "As a doctor I frown upon this," Chloe said as she climbed onto the bed, being careful of the wires.

          "And as my girlfriend?" Beca asked, amused.

          "And as your girlfriend, I love cuddling." Chloe got comfortable and placed a kiss on Beca's lips.

          "Does my awesome girlfriend want to sneak me out of this place?"

          "No she doesn't," Chloe said. "I'm sorry, babe, you have to stay here until further notice. I will however go get you actual food that wasn't made in a cafeteria."

          "That would be fantastic if I had an appetite," Beca said.

          "You need to eat something."

          "I know," Beca sighed. "Food can wait. I wanted to tell you something."

          Chloe looked at Beca, curiously. "What is it?" Chloe's pager went off and she rolled her eyes. "I'm not supposed to be on-call right now," she huffed as she she carefully got out of the bed. "I'll be right back okay?"

          "Wait," Beca said. "I want to tell you this before you go."

          Chloe looked at the brunette and waited for her to continue.

          "I love you," Beca said, softly.

          Chloe smiled. "Yeah?"

          "Of course. Don't act so surprised. You know you're great."

          Chloe laughed and leaned down to kiss Beca. "I love you too."

          "Chloe I'm not feeling too..." Beca drifted off and suddenly the monitor was flat-lining.

          Chloe sprung into action, hitting the red button by Beca's bed and quickly started chest compressions as she waited for a defibrillator to be pushed into the room.  

          Aubrey rushed to Beca's room with a few other doctors and saw Mr. Mitchell and Jesse in there watching over a sleeping Beca while Chloe lingered by the door. "Didn't you get my page?"

          "Sorry," Chloe turned to face her best friend. "She flat-lined. I was taking care of her. Do you still need me?"

          Aubrey pulled Chloe away from the room and further down the hall. "We have D.O.A. He's an organ donor. I already ran some tests. The heart's a really good match for Beca."

          Chloe's eyes lit up and she grabbed Aubrey by the hand. "I'm helping with this one."

          Aubrey shook her head. "I'm sorry. We've been over this before. I need you in the waiting room. I'll send someone out to keep you updated."

          It wasn't that Chloe wanted to be the one in charge of the surgery or anything like that. A heart transplant could last up to twelve hours or more. Aubrey would need a second pair of hands and Chloe didn't trust anyone else with her girlfriend. "It's a long procedure. Let me be the one to help you do this, please?" Chloe pleaded.

          Aubrey hated being the bad guy but there was no way she would be letting Chloe in that operating room. "I've made my decision. I'm sorry. I need to prep Beca for surgery. Trust me, Chloe."

          Chloe watched the doctors roll Beca out of her room and Aubrey gave her a reassuring look before walking off.

          Jesse approached the redhead with hope in his eyes. "What now?"

          "We wait," Chloe answered, hoping the next time she saw Beca, the girl would have a new heart and many more years with her.

 

 

 

 

Thirteen hours later...

          Chloe reached for her cup of coffee and sighed when she realized that it was empty. She had been doing everything she could to stay awake.

          "I'll go get you some more," Mr. Mitchell said as he stood up.

          "I'll go with you," Jesse got up as well.

          Chloe thanked them and was about to close her eyes for a few seconds when she saw Aubrey walking her way. She quickly stood up and searched her best friend's face for any sign of remorse but there was none. "Did the surgery go well? Is she okay?"

          Aubrey smiled and nodded. "The surgery went well and she is in recovery. She's not up but you can go see her." Aubrey looked around. "Where'd Jesse and Mr. Mitchell go?"

          "Coffee run," Chloe answered with barely contained excitement.

          Aubrey laughed. "You go ahead and see her. I'll wait for them to get back."

          "Thank you," Chloe said before rushing off to see her girlfriend.

          Aubrey sat down where Chloe had been sitting and let out a sigh. She was in serious need of a vacation.

 

 

 

 

          Beca's eyes opened and she was greeted by the sounds of a TV. "Anything good?" She asked huskily.

          Chloe turned her head and smiled at her girlfriend. "I can barely make out what's on the screen." Chloe turned off the TV and gave Beca her attention. She got the brunette some water and let her sip it before setting the cup down. "You have a new heart. You flat-lined a little over twenty-four hours ago and you were in surgery for awhile. Aubrey yet again worked her magic. You've been asleep for a bit and I've been beyond anxious for you to wake up."

          Beca smiled at how cute Chloe was being with her information overload. "A new heart?"

          "Yep, a new heart."

          "No more ICD?" Beca asked.

          Chloe grinned. "All gone."

          "I owe Aubrey a spa treatment."

          "She'll say she was just doing her job but I totally agree," Chloe said, happily. "I sent your dad and Jesse home but they'll be back in a few hours."

          "That's fine. I'm not up for company," Beca admitted.

          "I hope that doesn't include me because I'm not leaving."

          Beca smirked. "That definitely doesn't include you. So what happens now? Will my heart give me extraordinary powers? Will I be able to see through your clothing?"

          Chloe laughed. "Is that something you'd like to be able to do?"

          "It could prove useful," the DJ joked. "So I have a new heart?" She asked again.     She placed her hand on her chest and Chloe placed her own hand on top of Beca's.

          "A perfectly good heart," Chloe said. "There are some things you'll need to do to maintain it but we'll get into that later. I just want to enjoy this right now."

          The two continued to talk and joke around, both grateful for the time they had been given together.  

         

 

 

 

Five weeks later...

          "God," Chloe exited the operating room with Aubrey. "Talk about close calls."

          Aubrey let out a breath. "Right? You did great, though."

          Stacie approached the two smiling doctors and handed Chloe her cell phone. "You left it in the cafeteria when you ran off after your page. It kept ringing so I finally answered it."

          Chloe took in the solemn expression of her good friend. "Stacie what's wrong?"

          "It was Jesse. Beca's not feeling well. They're on their way here. She has a fever and from what he's told me she's showing signs of-,"

          Chloe shook her head. "No, she can't be rejecting the heart. She needs that heart."

          "I'm sorry," Stacie said.

          Chloe began to laugh, throwing Aubrey and Stacie off.

          "Um, Chloe are you okay?" Aubrey asked.

          "I'm a cardiothoracic surgeon who fell in love with someone with a heart condition. Beca finally gets the heart she's been waiting for for years and her immune system is rejecting it." Chloe's laugh quickly turn into a cry.

          Aubrey pulled the redhead into a hug. "Hey, this is normal. This happens. This doesn't mean the heart isn't any good. When she gets here, we'll have a look at her and figure out what we're dealing with, okay?"

          Chloe nodded and tried her best to stop crying. Aubrey was right and she couldn't lose it now. Beca needed her to be strong.  


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Beca looked at Chloe expectantly when she entered the hospital room after running some tests on her. "Give it to me straight doc. Am I just the unluckiest person in the world?"

          Chloe smiled and placed a kiss on Beca's cheek. "Your fever is already going down and your symptoms of rejection have already alleviated with the medication you were given. You just have to add a new pill to your daily intake to keep your immune system from rejecting the heart. You're going to be fine."

          Beca felt the tension leave her body. "I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting to have to set up camp here for the rest of my short life or something."

          "You have a long life now and you won't have to live out of a hospital," Chloe assured her. "You will however have to spend the night here so we can monitor you."

          Beca groaned. "I really feel fine now."

          Chloe smirked and shook her head. "Your definition of fine is probably way different than mine."

          "I'm feeling back handspring fine," Beca clarified.

          Chloe rolled her eyes but a smile played at her lips. "You shouldn't be attempting back handsprings anytime soon. And don't worry, I'll have Amy in here to keep you company."

          Beca frowned. "Amy keeps asking if she can practice sutures on me."

          "She's just kidding... I hope." Chloe frowned as she thought about it. "Okay, maybe not Amy. Jesse will be here soon anyway. He just left to get you your laptop so you can make your sick beats." Chloe smiled proudly. "See what I did there?"

          Beca laughed. "Sick beats... and we're in a hospital. Yeah, that was... creative. You should become a standup comedian. The world is missing out on your wit."

          Chloe glared at the redhead and kissed her. "Shut up. So I have a favor to ask you."

          "I don't know what I can do from a hospital bed but fire away," Beca said.

          "My parents are coming into town and-,"

          Beca frowned and placed her hand on her chest.

          Chloe's smile fell. "What's wrong?"

          Beca rubbed her chest. "I think it was the word parents and the thought that you might want me to meet them."

          Chloe rolled her eyes and lightly slapped her girlfriend on the shoulder. "You're an ass."

          Beca laughed. "I'm sorry. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up, but seriously, if you're asking me to meet you parents, I might pray for heart failure."

          "That's not funny. You're not funny. What's wrong with you meeting my parents?"

          "Absolutely nothing... except for the fact that they might hate me."

          "They won't hate you," Chloe assured Beca. "They're not even staying long. They're passing through next week so they want to stop by to visit."

          Beca could tell that her girlfriend really wanted this to happen and the redhead had gone to her family gathering after all. "Okay, I'll be thrown to the wolves. They know my history, right? Maybe that'll persuade your dad not to threaten me with his shotgun."

          "Don't be silly. He doesn't carry his shotgun around. He'll have his pistol."

          "Oh, that makes me feel so much better," Beca said, sarcastically.

          There was a knock on the door and Aubrey walked into the room. She smiled at her two friends who looked to be happy.

          "How's my favorite patient?" Aubrey asked.

          "If you clear me to leave here so I don't have to spend the night, I'll be great," Beca answered.

          Aubrey looked confused. "What? You don't want to spend the night in this awesome place? I even made sure you got the best room on the floor. The TV even has great reception."

          Beca laughed. "It's a regular five star hotel."

          Chloe's pager alerted her to a current crisis and she pouted at her girlfriend. "Sorry, I've gotta run."

          "It's fine. People don't stop dying because I want to spend time with my girlfriend. Go do your thing. You're a rock star."

          Chloe gave Beca a kiss before winking at her and rushing out of the room.

          Aubrey looked around before settling her eyes on Beca. "You know what, I've never been alone in a room with you when I wasn't trying to save your life... and even then I was surrounded by doctors."

          Beca's eyes widened. "Should we be bonding right now?"

          "I think so." Aubrey moved closer to the bed. "So, Chloe told me she wants to introduce you to her parents."

          Beca groaned. "I know. She's already brought it up."

          "Chloe only introduces people to her parents when she's serious about them, which doesn't happen often at all."

          "Hm, I feel a threat coming on," Beca voiced more to herself than to Aubrey.

          "I'm sure by now you know that she's serious about this relationship. I mean, she stuck with you through a lot already. And I'd like to think that you're just as serious... because if you're not..."

          "And here it comes," Beca said, referring to the threat.

          "I'll kick your ass so badly that Stacie won't even be able to reconstruct your face. Got it?"

          Beca's eyebrows furrowed at Aubrey's words. "You have a weird idea of what bonding is, but yeah, I've got it. You don't need to worry, Aubrey. I love Chloe. I won't hurt her."

          Aubrey smiled. "Good to know because I actually do like you and think you two are great together. I've got to run but I'll be back to check on you."

          After Aubrey left, Beca pressed the buzzer by her bed in order to ask a nurse for something to eat. When she saw Lilly enter the room, she immediately regretted it.

          "Um, hi, I'm was wondering if I could get something to eat, please."

          Lily stared blankly at Beca. "I like dead bodies."

          "Okay, you know what, I'm good. You can go. Actually better yet, I'm going to press this button again for another nurse. You don't have to help me."

          "Do you want to hear a story?" Lilly sat down in the chair by the bed.

          "Is it going to be about how you escaped a mental institution?" Beca asked.

          "Hey you." Jesse entered the room and Lilly left the room.

          "She's so creepy," Beca said as Jesse sat down where Lilly had just been.

          Jesse set Beca's laptop bag down on the floor. "You love giving me a scare, huh?"

          Beca shrugged. "What can I say? My heart's an attention whore."

          Jesse laughed and shook his head. "I'm glad you're doing all right. I ran into Aubrey on the way here. She says you're going to be just fine."

          "That's the general consensus. Sorry, you're stuck with me."

          "No complaints here. I still have a whole movie collection to show you. So where's that girlfriend of yours?"

          "Oh, just saving lives," Beca answered.

          "You got really lucky with her. She's perfect for you." Jesse was glad that Chloe had stuck around even though Beca had tried to push her away.

          Beca smiled. "I know. Sometimes I still think I'm going to wake up from a dream."

          "She's very much real and undoubtedly yours. Don't screw it up. She's one of the good ones."

          Beca smiled. "I know and don't worry; I plan on keeping her around forever."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Epilogue**

Four years later...

         

          Beca was pacing the living room of the house that she shared with Chloe. She was nervous. No, nervous was an understatement. She was seconds away from a full on freak-out. "Whose idea was this?"

          Jesse stood up from the couch and stopped his best friend from pacing. "It was yours. You went on about how she's the one for you and you should make thing between you official so you went and bout an engagement ring."

          Beca placed a hand on her stomach. "I feel sick."

          "Just don't throw up on me," Jesse pleaded. "And you have nothing to be nervous about."

          "What if she says no?" Beca asked.

          Jesse laughed. "Is that a worry you actually have? I'm pretty sure if you had asked her to marry you four years ago, she would've said yes."

          "You think so?" Beca asked.

          "I'm pretty confident in that. Just relax. Do you need to practice again?"

          "Practice is good. I mean, it's a little weird with you pretending to be Chloe and all but-,"

          "Hey, would you rather be practicing in front of a mirror?" Jesse asked. "I'm here to give you pointers. Let's do this."

          Beca took a deep breath. "Chloe I knew from the moment I met you that you were the one for me. I still can't believe after this long that you're still with me. You're everything to me and I was hoping that you would make me even happier by being my wife." Beca frowned. "That was bad wasn't it? Let me do that again."

          "Did you just propose to Jesse?" A voice said from behind her.

          Beca turned around and saw Chloe and Aubrey enter the living room. "No... I was... you weren't supposed to... damn it!"

          Chloe laughed. "I'm messing with you. I heard it all and the answer is yes."

          "But I didn't even get to do it right," Beca complained.

          "Yeah, Chloe," Aubrey added. "She didn't even get to do it right. She has to do it right."

          Beca glared at Aubrey. "I told you to text me when you were close."

          Chloe looked at her best friend. "You knew and didn't tell me?"

          "Of course I didn't tell you. It was supposed to be a surprise."

          "Wait, backtrack," Beca smiled at her girlfriend. "Did you say yes?"

          Chloe nodded. "I did."

          "So we're engaged?" Beca asked, happily.

          Aubrey shook her head. "Not until you do it so that it's perfect."

          Chloe moved towards Beca. "It was perfect." She kissed her girlfriend. "Have I ever told you how perfect you are?"

          Beca smiled. "All the time."

          "Well, you're perfect... just for good measure."

          The two began to kiss again and Jesse walked over to Aubrey. "I guess we should give them their privacy."

          "They're totally going to end up doing it on the floor," Aubrey sighed as she left the house with Jesse.

         


End file.
